The 93rd Annual Hunger Games
by Zulera301
Summary: Like many from District 2, Victor Caruso and Korra Francisco were as eager as any career tribute to volunteer for the Hunger Games and bring their district honor and glory. Everything seems fairly normal at first, but little do they realize that this year the 'games are far more than mere games, and that something far greater is happening around them, waiting for them to catch on…
1. Chapter 1: The Rebel

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Welcome one, welcome all, to The 93rd Annual Hunger Games! This is the 3rd volume of my "Fire Without a Spark" series. The series focuses on what Panem was like if Katniss had never volunteered for Prim, and thus the 2nd rebellion had never happened. Those who have read my earlier installments might see a pattern with District 12 and District 2 here, but I assure you that this time is very different (and that the sequel will take a very different focus altogether), so fear not; I am not going to get too repetitive I hope. This _fic obviously contains spoilers about the previous two (AKA who the victors of the 91st and 92nd games were), but other than that, you don't need to read them to understand what is going on in this one. _____This first chapter is kind of a prologue of sorts, and so if you want to skip ahead and read the story without worrying about "Fire Without a Spark" continuity, feel free to skip to chapter 2. Otherwise... Enjoy.  
____Please also note that the story "ends" with chapter 39, while chapters 40 and 41 (and/or any subsequent chapters) comprise an epilogue._

__(Now complete, with a revolutionary continuation in the works. Reviews, Feedback, Compliments, or [Constructive] Criticism are both welcomed and encouraged, _especially any thoughts about the characters, which is probably what interests me the most.)_

**PART I: BROKEN ODDS**

**Chapter 1: The Rebel**

District 2 was well-known for its populous Victor Village, boasting a total of 16 victors over the last 92 years, most of which were still alive. Some of the oldest ones, like Lyme Golding and Leto Irizari, were in their 70s or 80s, but were still hale. There were statues and stonework all over this little community, for a lot of the victors were actually sick of fighting after returning home from the Hunger Games, and so they took up the district's (former) primary industry, which was Masonry. One of the best-known mentors, Clove Kazera, had erected a pair of large tribute statues outside of the Justice Building—a male and a female, which served as "model tributes" to inspire volunteers from the district for years to come. The male statue was inspired by Marcus Romero, a 6'6", 200-lb 18-year-old who had fought in the 92nd Annual Hunger Games, and taken 3rd overall. His partner Amy had been the victor that year. The female statue was a depiction inspired by Chel Colorado, a similarly massive 18-year-old girl towering at 6'5" and 182 lbs. She had been the female tribute of the 91st Annual Hunger Games, and had taken 2nd place. Her friend and ally, Aveline Togisala of District 12, had returned home the victor that year. Oddly enough, it fostered a very subtle relationship between District 2 and District 12—a striking irony to some, given that '2 was the district most loyal to the Capitol, while District 12 was the opposite—perhaps even moreso than District 8.

But who exactly was Clove, and why was she so popular?

"That's something I still wonder about, you know," Amy quipped, having popped that very question just moments ago while she was playing cards with Clove, as well as Enobaria Taos and Elroy Trujillo, two more past victors.

"It probably has something to do with the fact that I've been a mentor for 19 years now, and counting." Clove shrugged, "I'm not about to force Katsuo or Kaede to go back."

"Are you that against me going alone?" Amy shook her head. "It's not like I couldn't do it. Ava's apparently on her own mentoring, isn't she?"  
"Aye, but there's a much larger victors' pool here," Clove chuckled,

"And Clove has an emotional attachment to the Capitol," Elroy quipped, elbowing the woman. "They have the best drugs for her."  
"Shove it, Elroy," Clove slapped a card down on the table, "also, you're taking that queen."  
Elroy swore and Enobaria chuckled. Hearts was one of those games that could turn around like that.

"But seriously," Amy tilted her head again, "not to act like the new girl all over again, but you always seem to try and dodge the question, Clove. Why do you like mentoring so much?"  
"To be honest," Clove shrugged, "it just gets my mind off of things. I like getting out of the district. There's a part of me that feels like this District is going to break into a civil war at any time. If District 12 breaks off, I sense riots coming."

"It's doable," Enobaria raised her eyebrows, "The Capitol needs to be knocked down a peg more than meets the eye." This was banter that never left the victors' mansions, for not even they would be safe from the Capitol's wrath if they were heard speaking of rebellion.

"I take it you're still talking with Leto and Lyme about this?" Amy quipped,

"Why wouldn't I be?" the fanged woman retorted, "this isn't just about me, believe it or not. This is about getting the Capitol's grubby hands off of my district."

"Well then we need to teach you the art of subtlety," Amy insisted, "I'm an expert at it. I hate to say it, Ms. Taos… but you are not subtle at all."  
"I rip throats out." The older woman shrugged. "subtlety is not my thing. Don't act like I'm so stupid that I'd blow cover right now or anything though."

"Fair enough," Amy cracked a small chuckled. "Let's keep playing." It was clear though, that despite no other words being said through the next several games, that all four of them had their minds on one rather prominent subject—revolt. This had been the exact kind of discord in District 2 which Chel had spoken of to Aveline two years ago.

Of course, if there was anywhere in Panem that had some serious discord, it was District 12, which was vying for the position of "most rebellious district" alongside District 8, and arguably (according to some Peacekeepers anyways) had ousted it, even. There had been a few small isolated incidents lately, but luckily not enough to make the Capitol crack down. In fact, all it did was make the district lose power much more frequency, as if the Capitol simply wanted to slap them on the wrist rather than get involved. At around 14,000, District 12 had the smallest population by a decent margin. They were not large enough to cause lasting damage on their own.

But, when Reaping Day came for them, the people of District 12 shuffled into the square without incident, and followed protocol all the way to the calling of the names. The four living victors sat down on a row of seats next to the Capitol officials behind the escort, their arms crossed as they quietly watched the ritual unfold before them. They were a close-knit bunch: Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, Vigo Zakatau, and Aveline Togisala all had the same stoic expressions on their faces. They knew that what was about to happen was not at all pretty.

Shortly after the usual propaganda film concluded, a pale woman with dark, spiky blue hair and vibrant red eyes strode onto the stage, her frilly knee-length skirts bouncing with each step. Despite the rather harsh feelings that a lot of District 12 had towards the Capitol, they did not show it towards this woman. This was Junichi Thatch; escort for the District 12 tributes. She dressed vividly, although never too garishly, and as long as she had not changed in the last year too much, the people were pretty sure this woman was still rather humble and down-to-earth—a surprisingly relatable woman.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" she beamed, going into a miniature speech that most people were sure was mandatory for her to give, before she cut right to the point. "And now it is time to choose our tributes for the 93rd Annual Hunger Games… and as is always—ladies first,"

Junichi stepped over to one of the large glass bowls that held the girls' names, running her hand through it a bit to mix it up to keep things fair for those who registered later. She did this for a few seconds, perhaps also to build suspense in the Capitol, or some might even say she was looking for a particular name, although a moment later she produced a slip of paper between her fingers. Gently unfolding it, she called out the name:

"_Sacajawea Kwan!"_

"I KNEW IT!" was the girl's exclamation as her name was picked.  
"No, Saki!" a younger girl shouted. Clearly that was her nickname or something, but instead of a fight or some other commotion that might need to involve Peacekeepers, a large, 18-year-old girl stumped up to the stage without resistance, with skin as brown as her jacket and hair as black as the coal dust on said jacket. Junichi frowned for a moment, giving the girl a look of sympathy. There was clearly something going on here that was not being shared—some kind of wordless communication.

"And now for the boys…" Junichi stepped over to the bowl with the boys' names without any other subtle actions, and dipped her hand into it. She repeated the same motions as she had for the girls before fishing out a name from the edge of the bowl. She opened it up and read it aloud.

"_Jeremy Pescado!"_

A lightly tanned, brown-haired boy with rather long flowing hair similar to Vigo's stepped out of the crowds and came forward standing next to Sacajawea on the stage. There was a somber silence even as Junichi wrapped up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..." she cleared her throat for a moment, "your tributes from District 12 for the 93rd Annual Hunger Games: Jeremy Pescado and Sacajawea Kwan!"

There was silence—a blatant lack of applause, but everyone raised their fingers in a respectful gesture that was commonplace among District 12 and District 11.

Saki and Jeremy's parents, as well as Saki's younger siblings, crowded in to say what was likely to be their final goodbyes. Jeremy noticed that Sacajawea's remarks did seem to be rather foreboding. As they were escorted to the car that would take them to the train station a few minutes later, Jeremy turned to his partner.

"you seemed rather pessimistic," he noted, "I've seen you around even if we've never talked. You've got what it takes to crawl out of this thing alive."  
"I'm not counting myself out just yet," Saki admitted, "but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this year will be different."  
"In what way," Jeremy raised an eyebrow,

"I'm not sure," Saki shrugged, "but it'll be in a way that few realize the magnitude of until it's too late to be stopped. The 93rd Hunger Games will be great and terrible, to say the least, and Panem will never forget them…"


	2. Chapter 2: Frenzy Day

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And now we meet the main characters. Despite her name, the main character is not based off of Avatar Korra in any (intended) way, and so any similarities are entirely coincidental. This sets the stage for the next few chapters, where development and other revelations till take place, and we learn a brief story about a past Hunger Games. in the meantime, Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 2: Frenzy Day**

"Reaping Day"… why they still called it that in District 2 was still a mystery to Korra Francisco, given that it was more like "Frenzy Day", given the crazy things that potential career tributes would do in the frantic rush from the line to the escort's stage. No one had actually ever died during it, but there had been some considerable injuries, and now and again a girl would get her skirt ripped off or something. A few girls last year had almost suffered that fate, although they had all been bested by the tiniest girl in their ranks—a little thing named Amy Zavala. It was impressive enough that a 14-year-old was willing to try her hand at volunteering so early, and it was another thing when she was successful enough to make it to the stage. But much more impressive than that, was that now there she was, standing with her arms crossed on the stage next to the bubbly escort, Delun Frost, who was going through the introductory rituals of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games: the Capitol videos, the list of past victors, and that sort of thing—typical protocol stuff.

Amy Zavala though—she was impressive because she had returned home as the victor of the 92nd Annual Hunger Games the year before. She had had a perfect training score, and had established herself as the leader of her career alliance, holding it together despite all odds.

That was not what excited Korra though. No, what excited her was that this was going to be her year. Her 18th birthday was in less than a month, but she didn't want to wait. If a tiny kid like Amy could do it, a stronger kid like her could easily make it. Korra jostled her way through throngs of older girls between the ages of about 14 and 18, although most of them were 17 or 18. District 2 girls seemed to come in two sizes: large, heavyset girls who could swing heavy weapons with ease, and smaller, lightning-quick girls that usually specialized in stealth and fast-paced projectile weapons. Korra was sort of a mix between the two. She had a solid, athletic frame, but was also more slender and built for speed: in fine, strong and fast—definitely a competitor this year.

Atop the stage, Amy turned to her own mentor, Clove Kazera, watching the girls and boys separate and get into place. Each year was always full of promising recruits, and that mentality was encouraged all throughout the district. Flanking the two mentors, the escort, and the other Capitol officials were two large statues of a young man and a young woman, which had been erected over the last two years by Clove herself. On the right was a statue of Chel Colorado, the District 2 girl from the 91st Hunger Games, and on the left was Marcus Romero, the District 2 boy from the 92nd Hunger Games.

"Think we'll get another Chel or Marcus," Amy raised her eyebrows, glancing at the two magnificent statues on either side of her.

"Doubtful," Clove shook her head, "You know me—I stalk the academies like it's my job or something. Most of these boys and girls seem like your stock career tributes. Even I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. We need more Chels and Marcuses though. Remember what Enobaria said."  
"If anyone leads a rebellion or a riot, it's gonna be her," Amy muttered, "she'll be the first to die, and then the first to start a riot because of her death."  
"Don't count her out so swiftly," Clove retorted, "Enobaria's much smarter than she looks. Anyways, let's be quiet and watch the reaping. The girls are about to start…"

A gunshot was fired (into the air of course) to signal the start of the frenzied dash, and the girls all took off. The faster ones pulled ahead, but the stronger ones were able to drag them down or shove them off their feet in the vicious scramble. Clothing was grabbed, and so was hair. Luckily, Korra did not face either of those things just yet, and she zigzagged through the other brawling girls till she was knocked over. Someone had grabbed her shirt. Korra wasted no time, and spun around, kicking the offending girl in the face before flipping herself over, slamming her feet against another girl's back, dropping her instantly. She used that girl as leverage before she nearly catapulted herself onto the stage. Another girl had nearly beaten her there, but at the last moment, Korra spun around and slugged her with a mean left hook that sent her sprawling off the stage.

"I'm not even left-handed!" she laughed triumphantly, flipping some auburn hair out of her fair-skinned face, as Delun took the girl's hand and held it in the air. He asked for Korra's name for a second before he went and announced it.

"Ladies and gentlemen—our female tribute this year: Korra Francisco! Now… for the boys…"

The boys lined up and were jostling each other similar to how the girls were, and when the gunshot went off, they scrambled for the stage being just as aggressive as the girls had been. Oddly, they were not as brutal as the girls has been, but there were still people getting punched in the gut or kicked in the face before a boy with shoulder-length blond hair made it to the stage, throwing his arms up in triumph. Delun asked his name just as he had with Korra's before announcing it.

"Ladies and gentlemen—our male tribute this year: Victor Caruso!"

Like many career tributes, Korra and Victor were fairly familiar with each other, both of them being near the same age (Korra was only 17, while Victor was 18), and so they high-fived each other before heading into the Justice Building to say their goodbyes. The Hunger Games were simply business to District 2, and so even their goodbyes were short and sweet. soon they were hauled into a car which took them to the train station, and in turn, towards the Capitol, where the beginning of their new lives would begin.

Once in the train, they encountered Amy and Clove again, and Korra couldn't help but be a little vocal with her thoughts.

"I was expecting you to retire after least year," she quipped to the older woman.

"I can't retire," Clove laughed, "mentoring is in my blood now. I'll be here till I die. Even then though, Amy's your primary mentor. I'm mostly just here for the ride."

"but you have so much more experience," Korra argued, "Amy's just a kid."

"Aveline from District 12 was just a kid," Clove argued, "but both of them still know a hell of a lot more about the Hunger Games than you."

"And you know more about the games than them." Victor argued, "you're almost 37."

"Ha, but you're overlooking one important aspect." Clove warned, "I'm not a humble woman. I'm not going to pretend that I don't know 301 ways to kill you both within seconds using items in this train car. However, I am also a very envious woman. Aveline and Amy are mentally stable—so listen to Amy as a mentor. Don't knock her just because she's younger than you."

"Respect is something earned, not given," Victor indicated,

"And winning the Hunger Games—crawling out of that hellhole alive—is something that is misunderstood and not respected enough." Amy butted in, "It's not a sense of entitlement, kids—one of you is coming home if I have anything to say about it. I made a promise to send a message. However, I'm going to need your cooperation. I've been through the games, and so I'm here to make sure that one of you manages to crawl out of whatever horrible arena they put you in."

Now Victor and Korra seemed considerably more Amy's words.

"Good to see interest," the tiny girl smiled, "now, first off—remember that age is just a number. I won the 'games at 14, a trait only shared with District 4's Finnick Odair, District 2's Leto Irizari, and District 8's Alice DeSiete. Then of course there's Ikki—the only 12-year-old to ever win the Hunger Games."

The 77th Hunger Games were still considered some of the most legendary games in Panem history because of that. No one under 14 had ever won the games before, and even to this day, no others have. And yet, that year, tiny little Ikki Ortolani, an unsuspecting tribute from District 3 who had barely turned 12 not but a week before the reaping, went into the games with a training score of 6, and then managed to kill 10 tributes on her own. 7 of them had been in the final moments of the games, where the girl had electrified them in an elaborate trap that had utilized most of the arena.

"As long as you try to help us get home and achieve fame and glory," Korra smirked, "I'm willing to do just about anything you say. Do we have a deal?"  
Amy thought about this for a moment before nodding. "Aye, we have a deal."


	3. Chapter 3: Greater Schemes

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There is a lot of subtlety and a lot of not-so-subtlety going on in this chapter. We learn a thing or two about some of the other tributes, and Delun is in on something that Junichi is also in on, apparently. Clearly there is something going on that they are not telling their tributes, and while there might be plenty of theories... no, they are not trying to stage a revolution here. Not this year, anyhoo._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 3: Greater Schemes**

Amy flipped a switch and caused a TV screen to lower in front of her and her tributes. "So here's what's going to happen" she began, "I'm going to give you a rundown of what kind of enemies you're up against this year. You're going to do what I say because I know what I'm doing. My buddies from Districts 1, 2, and 3 last year didn't nominate me as the leader of the pack because of my good looks. Panem could always do with more leaders in the Hunger Games. Just look at kids like Monica or Iris, even. Sadistic as they might have been, those kids knew what they were doing."

"Well then," Victor suggested, "Let's check out our competition, shall we?"  
Korra was briefly impressed at knowing that events that occurred mere hours ago were already publicly available to watch, but she shifted her mind towards the real subject at hand—the tributes.

"Cobalt Efran and Vivian Nelson, District 1…" Amy began, showing the proud pair of tributes from the Luxury District, "they've kind of had a losing streak that they consider lengthy—Nailah Zoraki from the 79th Hunger Games was their last victor—an alcoholic, but also was a prized fighter back in her day. I would definitely still recommend them for your career pack. Besides—a lack of wins doesn't always mean poor performance. District 12 for example, used to rank fairly high even if they were unable to produce a victor. Case in point—they were one tribute away from having two consecutive victors."

"District 2 has a victor this year," Victor chuckled, "and then when I win, it will have Victor the victor!"

Korra and Amy couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"You're no Marcus, kid," the tiny mentor smirked, "but that was a good one; I'll give you that."

"Victor Caruso and Korra Francisco, District 2…" Amy continued, acting as if these weren't the same people in front of them, "Perhaps a little overconfident, but nothing that can't be fixed with a good mentor or two."

"You're a riot, Amy," Korra quipped, elbowing the tiny girl. "Let's see the others."

Amy proceeded to give them the rundown of the remaining tributes. The District 3 pair was rather young this year, but they looked as clever as ever. District 4 looked fairly young as well, and hopefully would pull out of their rut that they were sinking into. Ever since Gill Wainright had won the 90th Hunger Games, every District 4 tribute had died in the bloodbath except for Iris Durango.

District 5 looked cunning—Korra figured that at least one of them would make it out of the bloodbath, which seemed to be commonplace in recent years. District 6 produced a pair of tributes that looked like they were on drugs. The boy, a rather large individual, had actually volunteered no less.

"Any idea what that kid's motives are?" Korra piped up.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Amy shrugged, "maybe he's had a bit too much Substance 21 and isn't thinking straight. That smaller girl next to him looks the same way." There was a certain pink-eyed look that both of them had that might have explained District 6's performance in recent years.

District 7 produced a pair of 15-year-olds that looked a bit more physically fit than usual, but Amy was swift to remind them that even tiny little tributes could best them if they were not careful. District 8 was similar, except they were a little skinnier, probably from working a less physically demanding industry. Districts 9 and 10 didn't appear to be a threat again, but that was fairly normal.

District 11, however, produced another burly pair of tributes—the kind that looked like they could rip another tribute's arm out or something. They would be dangerous, and Korra not only mentally noted this, but also took Amy's warning to heart.

District 12 was similar, although the girl had an odd reaction to the reaping when all was said and done. Victor and Korra both noted this, with the latter of the two voicing it.

"Did she like, know that she was going to be picked or something?" she tilted her head, "or are they trying to rig the reaping so that they'll get themselves another winner?"

"It worked for them during the first Quarter Quell," Clove piped up, "the districts had to choose their tributes. A kid named Laurel Fox from District 12 took the crown that year. Then again, she was also supposedly kind of a bitch, so maybe she was just unpopular? Makes me wish she was still alive…"

"And then they kept their record of winning every Quell since then," Amy quipped, "victors have done some pretty crazy things in their lives."  
"So what makes you so smart," Korra began, "I mean… no offense or anything, but you're the newest victor of the games, and you act like you know it all. Maybe you do—I'm not trying to be an ass or anything; I'm just curious."  
"It's called doing research," Amy shrugged, "Besides, once you join the Hunger Games you will never have a private life again. Well… that's not entirely true, but most people will know a lot about you—especially fellow victors, who meet you in the Capitol and such."

"I like you," Korra nodded her approval, "you're straightforward and honest, and you tell things exactly how they are. I know I've said it before, but I really liked your District 12 speech 6 months ago."  
"Brown-nosing the mentor isn't going to get her to forget about what you said earlier," Victor teased,

"Oh, can it already, Victor." Korra elbowed him, "that wasn't brown-nosing. I like a direct approach like that—and besides, they should have been enemies, but they applauded her." she took the remote and flipped through her options till she found recaps of the 92nd Victory Tour. They listened to Amy's speech as she stepped up to the podium on the screen.

"_I'm not going to give any of you the sentimental nonsense that you might expect from a shining example that District 2 says it provides for Panem. I am going to say exactly how I feel about this place, and exactly how I feel about Rafael West and Monica Savage. They were my enemies, as anyone who watched the games surely knows, but I respected them. They were cunning, strong, and determined. They had what it took to become more than just a tribute. In them was the stuff from which legends are born." _That was the part that stood out the most to Victor and Korra: the stuff of legend. Immediately the young tribute pair wondered if they would become legendary that way too or not.

They watched the rest of the speech and noticed that Amy was wearing the same golden hoop earrings now that she had been during that tour.

"You like those earrings or something?" Victor had noticed too, and had asked this time.

"When all is said and done, aye; I do," Amy nodded, "Korra was a little off base when she said I was straightforward and honest about everything, but one of the first rules about talking to a victor is that you don't try to weasel things out of them that they don't want to share."  
Korra and Victor glanced over at Clove, who nodded in agreement.

"She's right," the older woman nodded, "victors are some strange people, really. There are less than 92 of us that even understand what we've even been through. It's… not as easy as some of us make it look. Amy has it pretty well. Me? I'm not so lucky. Katsuo and Kaede from '82 and '81? They make even me want to cry sometimes."

Discussion about the tributes and the games went on later into the night. The trains went at different speeds so that all twelve districts could arrive at the Capitol at the same time, and so there'd be a brief night spent on the rails before the arrival at the glamorous city tomorrow morning.

Victor and Korra had called it a night, leaving Amy and Clove alone with the gentle hum of the train and the rails being the only real noise for a while until Delun stepped in. He too was wearing a pair of those golden hoop earrings just as Amy was, his green curls nearly concealing them.

"Do they know," he asked, sitting across a table from the two victors.

"It went way over their heads," Amy indicated, "they're vaguely aware that something happened to Sacajawea's reaping, but Junichi's expressions didn't tip them off either."

"Ah," Delun sighed, "all of a sudden it makes sense why you wanted to be in District 12, sister;" he was referencing Junichi, since the two escorts were in fact siblings, "so she's seriously moving things into place already?"  
"She's been doing it for years," Clove almost laughed, "We've got a lot of discord to deal with before we're at that level though."

"Then I suppose we just wait," Amy shrugged, "Let the 93rd Hunger Games play out and see where they take us or something?"

"Exactly," Delun nodded, "in the meantime, you two should get some rest. The Capitol won't be too happy to see a pair of exhausted victors!"

"Fair enough," Amy chuckled, and grunting, she got up and pulled Clove to her feet, where the two of them parted ways at their rooms, aware of a simple truth:  
More games were going on than just the 93rd Annual Hunger Games.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the Capitol

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _So it seems I've fallen into a sort of pattern where I update every 4 days except Sundays. Yesterday's update was delayed due to technical issues; I had had the chapter done and everything. Anyhoo...we get to see some philosophical conversation between Victor and Korra, and they manage to reach the Capitol. That means the real fun begins very soon._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 4: Welcome to The Capitol**

Victor and Korra woke up the next morning refreshed and ready for the day. They washed and got dressed for the morning, meeting Delun and their mentors out in the dining car to have some breakfast before their life in the Capitol would begin—and where the lives of 23 children would end within the next few weeks. Like most tributes, they were surprised at the purple chemical showers and the Capitol's knowledge of each district's fashion, but otherwise, it was fairly normal.

"Mornin'" Amy nodded at her tributes as they sat down to eat. Clove was nowhere to be seen, but she was probably just sleeping in again. "are you ready to hit the big time?"  
"Of course," Korra smirked, "we're ready for anything. What's it like?"  
"Well, for one—potentially both of you—it's the last place you'll ever see," Amy warned, "you kids should know me by now. I don't sugar-coat things. One of you is going to die out there—both of you if you're not careful."  
"You don't say," Korra rolled her eyes, "honestly, I suspected that Gamemaker Zurok would change the rules this year and let there be two victors if they were from the same district. Victor and I would just team up and destroy everyone in the first minute and 33 seconds, and then we'd go home."

Victor chuckled. "Nice choice of number," he quipped, noting that a minute and 33 seconds was in fact 93 seconds.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Amy argued, her voice remaining as calm and low as it always had, "what I'm saying is that you need to know your enemy. Watch the other tributes—learn as much as you can about them, friend or foe. It was my analytical skills that put me in as the leader of the career pack last year, and it was that which helped me win the games. District 12's Monica Savage came within seconds of killing me. Anyways, despite my remarks, know that I'm watching out for you, and that I am determined to bring at least one of you home. I made a promise, after all."  
"Please tell me you're not just trying to bring one of us home to send your message," Victor grunted.

"Right," Amy snarked, "I'm totally sick of District 2 victors and so I don't want my own tributes to actually win anything for me. It will help my message, but it's not like I'm your mentor because Clove retired or anything. I'm mentoring you because I want to produce a victor. If my victor is named Victor… well, that sounds like bonus points to me." she cracked a chuckle.

"Hey," Korra piped up, "don't be taking sides now."  
"I'm not," Amy shook her head, taking a drink, "You two really need to unwind. Have a drink or something—sheesh. You're completely missing the point."  
"What is the point then?" Korra's green eyes met Amy's brown ones.

"My point is simple," the tiny girl quipped, "LIVE. You have spent years at the academies training for this moment, and now here you are. You outsmarted and outmuscled all of your peers just to reach that stage. Odds are that you'll both score 11s or 12s in training. Chances are that you both will end up killing several other tributes on your way to the victor's throne."

"And that…" said a voice from behind them "is why you are an awesome mentor, Amy." It was Clove, wearing shorts and a tanktop, a cup of coffee in her hands, and her hair still frizzy. Clearly, she had just woken up a few moments ago.

"You hear that," she continued, sitting down, "that's this old codger agreeing with the kid. Victor; Korra; Amy is here to help you. Don't think for a moment that she aims to do otherwise."

Clove's words seemed to put Korra and Victor in their places for good this time. In truth, Amy was the youngest one of the four, and so for the prideful tributes of District 2, it was a little difficult sometimes for them to take orders from a kid younger than them. Marcus Romero last year had been an exception, since he had acknowledged personally that Amy's leadership skills were respectable.

Delun, who had remained quiet during most of this conversation, finally also spoke up.

"We'll be arriving in the Capitol shortly—you all best be getting ready!"

Unbeknownst to Korra or Victor, he also exchanged glances with Amy and Clove, who simply nodded.

About an hour later, the magnificent Capitol came into view. Korra and Victor admittedly found themselves gazing at the glittering city, a little bit mesmerized by it all. It was nearly noon, and so they were having lunch around now. Similarly, at this point, the two tributes had joined Amy and Clove in a game of cards, where the victors ended up more or less steamrollering them.

"How are you so good at this game?" Korra tilted her head.

"Mentors play a lot of card games," Amy quipped, "and dice games. Just don't play with Clove too much. She'll cheat."

"Don't play cards with Katniss either," Clove nodded, "she'll attack you if you beat her."

"I'm sorry; I don't care where you're from—that was hilarious." Amy laughed.

"I hope the cameras got my good side," Clove laughed.  
Korra and Victor were slightly glad when they finally pulled into the Capitol station. Whatever was going on between Clove and Amy had gone over their heads, and so they had kind of felt excluded. Both of them put enough faith into Amy to be able to potentially produce another District 2 victor, but on the other hand, they felt like there was something going on behind their backs that they were not being told about. Knowing that they were being kept from a secret (or at least assuming that they were) was never exactly a pleasant thing.

Either way, their attitudes shifted significantly once they exited the train and got to greet the Capitol crowds for the first time. They were wild over their favorite District's tributes, who eagerly and loyally volunteered for the games year after year. Korra smiled and waved, and actually looked kind of cute. Victor chanted his name, and pumped up the crowds by telling them that they would soon get a victor named Victor. As 'punny' as it might have been the airheaded crowds ate it all up. The boy certainly had charisma that might make certain victors turn their heads if they saw. And of course, Delun was welcomed back, an enthusiastic grin plastered over his face, while Amy and Clove were given a very fond welcome, given how much the Capitol loved their victors of previous games.

Without further ado, they managed to make it to the tribute tower, where they were escorted to the 2nd floor. It did not escape Victor's mind that 23 of the kids that were now making themselves at home in this building would be dead in less than a month—probably within 3 weeks, since training was a week and then the games usually lasted about two weeks.

"Welp," Delun grinned once the District 2 team reached the luxurious apartment, "make yourselves at home! This is where you'll be spending the next week anyways, so you best be enjoying it. Although don't go too far—Misaha and Zakuya will be coming to meet you in a little bit!"

Korra and Victor did just that, and got comfortable. Clove and Amy disappeared down one of the hallways to what presumably led to their rooms, while the opposite hallway was designated for the tributes. Victor turned to his partner and spoke.

"So how does it feel," he asked her, "knowing that you and 22 others could be dead in a few weeks?"  
"It just feels," Korra shrugged, "Not that I'd count out the notion of me coming out alive, but it's just… business, I guess. I never really thought about it, to be honest. How about you?"  
"It's a strange feeling," Victor shrugged, "like my whole life has been working towards this, and now here it is, culminating in this. Tonight we show off for the Capitol, and then starting tomorrow we show off for the tributes. I might watch the reaping footage again tonight."  
"That's not a bad idea," Korra gestured with a shrug, "to be honest, I never really gave any of this much thought. I kind of just jumped right in and made things up as I went. District 2 told us to volunteer, and so I volunteered. Here I am."

"And interesting take, if I say so myself," Victor agreed, "Although if I have to tell you who to take sides with in the 'games, we might have a problem."  
"What do you take me for?" Korra laughed, "a backstabber?"  
"Chel Colorado was," Victor quipped,

"Hey, she was awesome." Korra insisted, "Clove doesn't just build statues out of anyone, you know."  
"I'll convince her to build one of me," Victor smirked, "how about you?"  
"I didn't come here to just be forgotten dead tribute #2159 now," Korra laughed. "I came here to win—and that's exactly what I tend to do. Nothing—and no one—will get in my way."


	5. Chapter 5: Between the Lines

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Parade time. This chapter gives a little insight into some of the new tributes, as well as a bit of what Snow might think of District 12. There is some very subtle foreshadowing here, but I suppose that it's far too early to be drawing conclusions, and so the truth will come in time._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 5: Between the Lines**

It was not too much longer after the tributes had settled in and gotten a decent little conversation going, when Delun showed back up, with a mysterious pair of white-haired individuals in tow. They were dressed similarly, and in shades of gold and red. Glittery eye-masks that might be seen at a masquerade party graced their faces, and large white protruded from either side of them. Their outfits had a few other glittery embellishments, and the woman's right leg from hip to ankle showed through a long slit in her skirts. Amy recognized them as Zakuya and Misaha, her stylists from last year. Clove recognized them as the District 11 stylists, which was where they had been during the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

"Korra, Victor," Delun beamed, motioning first towards the man, and then to the woman, "this is Misaha and Zakuya. They will be your stylists for the 'games."

"The good news, kids," the older mentor piped up, "is that those two have been in the business for decades. However, I've never heard them say a single word—you can talk to 'em, but they won't use words to respond."  
"Well… that's… something," Korra raised an eyebrow curiously, "Now I'm not so sure."  
"I'm no Capitol suckup," Amy piped up, "but I've been there and done this. These two really are the best of the best. Follow them to the prep room, and they'll guide you from there."  
With a shrug, Victor and Korra parted ways, following Zakuya and Misaha down to said prep room. Victor found himself being instructed wordlessly to disrobe and to climb into a peculiar shower, which he did with a slight apprehensiveness, but he got over it fairly quickly. The Capitol seemed to have no qualms whatsoever with nudity, and thus it all felt fairly professional to the boy. The shower was similar to the chemical bath that he had taken on the train into the Capitol, and so it was not as surprising as he had expected. He was then cleaned up a little bit to fit the "Capitol Bill" as he called it, before he was dried off and led to the actual studio proper, where he would be dressed in his chariot costume.

Victor was dressed in colors of silver and dark green, with the clothing being thick but comfortable. His hair was styled up a little bit to look more tribal, and black and grey warpaint was applied to his face. When Zakuya motioned him towards the mirror, he found that he really did look like some sort of dark green tribal warrior, which to him, was frankly, kind of cool. Only his fingertips, elbows, and part of his neck showed the color of his skin, for he had been decked out in gloves, boots, pants, and a tunic, among other things.

"So are you ever going to say anything?" Victor tilted his head after he was finished. Instead of responding, Zakuya simply pointed to his outfit as if to ask what he thought of it.

"Well, it's cool," Victor admitted, "I'm just wondering if you guys had your tongues cut out or something. You're not Avoxes, are you?"  
Zakuya simply grinned, flashing a perfectly intact tongue. Either he was mute, or simply did not wish to speak. Popular rumor among District 2 victors (started by Clove, and perpetuated by Amy) was that these stylists had never spoken to any tribute. Perhaps they were simply lying and really were mute.

Either way, Victor found himself being escorted back out into the main hall that would lead to the chariots, where the tributes would all congregate before boarding said chariots and kicking off the parade. Victor saw District 1's tributes all decked out in glitzy and glittery outfits as usual (oddly, both of them were pink this year, even the boy's. He did not seem perturbed about it though), and for a moment, he found himself admiring the girl's legs, before someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey there big guy… How do I look?" it was Korra, and she was dressed almost identically except for small adjustments to her clothing to fit her dimensions more appropriately.

"like you're ready to kill someone," Victor smirked, "so perfect."

"Good," Korra nodded approvingly, "Let's take a look at what we're up against this year."  
There were a few impressive-looking outfits this year. The District 3 pair were fiddling with something on their black and green outfits, and seemed to be walking fairly close to each other. District 11 seemed to have gone after a 'red-earth' type theme with the color of their robes, and their arms were wrapped in green cloth that was supposed to resemble vines.

District 12 was particularly interesting this year though, having a simple but powerful message. Both of them were clad in shimmering black robes with prop scythes in their hands and black paint on their faces. This getup was topped off with what appeared to be black mist trailing behind them. Korra recognized this getup as a personification of death, which to her raised plenty of red flags. If the stylists didn't dress up a tribute geared towards their industry, usually the costume reflected the nature of one or both of the tributes. Clearly these two were killers then.

"I gotta admit," Victor pointed his thumb towards the District 12 pair, "those effects are pretty freakin' sweet. I still think ours are cooler—it says so much without going overboard."  
While District 2 might have been loyal to the Capitol, even they didn't quite get the need for so many embellishments either. It was one of the few things every district could agree on.

Soon enough though, the tributes were boarding the chariots as the anthem began to play to welcome them to the Capitol of Panem. As always, District 1 led the way, starting the parade off with much cheering and applauding, which seemed to grow louder as District 2 appeared.

About halfway through the parade, Korra glanced back and learned why there was all of a sudden a huge burst of applause from behind them. The kids from District 3 had flipped a switch or something on their costumes, and now there was a floating marquee that hovered around the tribute pair's waists that simply read "SUPPORT DISTRICT 3" over and over.

"I love it!" Caesar Flickerman commented, where Claudius Templesmith nodded in agreement. They usually had a few words to add to the chariot parade, which was televised like all the rest. "District 3 has always been a clever bunch, and definitely had to do something impressive to outshine district 2 before them! Do you think they did it?"  
"It's hard to say…" Claudius noted, "Seems we'll have to wait for the arena!"

The two made continual commentary all the way through the remaining chariots.

"And what's this?" Claudius interjected again as the ending chariot came into better view,

"Well I'll be!" Caesar exclaimed, "it's death himself—or herself… or both!" he laughed at his own joke, referring to the District 12 pair and their ominous costumes.

As usual, the cheering got slightly louder again upon reaching Districts 11 and 12, but soon enough the chariots were forming a semicircle around the president's balcony, where Coriolanus Snow would give his annual speech. Some of the kids in the more rebellious districts always wondered when he would finally kick the bucket, but even at his age, he was still rather hale. Capitol technology and medicinal research seemed to be top-notch for the beloved president.

Just as it was every year, the speech was short and simple.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games," He said in his usual calm but commanding tone. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

With this, the chariots were dismissed. Korra looked back one more time towards President Snow, and noticed that his eyes briefly locked with the District 12 chariot. However, she was too far ahead to see which of the tributes he had stared at, or what his expression had been.

As the tributes disembarked to go their separate ways, Korra turned to Victor and smirked.

"Wanna get a sneak peek of the training room before we show everyone up tomorrow?" she offered,

"What kind of career tribute wouldn't?" he laughed, and snickering the whole way, the two tributes took an elevator down, almost acting as if they were getting into trouble (when in reality, they were not. The training center was basically accessible at all times).

Naturally, it was everything they expected and more. Weapons of all sorts line various shelves and stations, almost as if calling out to be used. The District 2 pair both picked up a pair of clubs and swung them around a bit.

"Heh, now we really look like warriors," Victor interjected.

"I'll say," Korra agreed, "but… this is going to sound weird. Now that I'm here… part of me wants to let the suspense lull me to sleep tonight so I can wake up earlier tomorrow and start training sooner."  
"I'm game for that," Victor shelved the club, "we've got a whole week ahead of us to do this thing. I'm pretty sure that we'll be just fine…"


	6. Chapter 6: To Be a Champion

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _slightly late chapter given the holiday season and such, and so the stories might take a little hiatus and/or be slow in updating for the next week or two till the holidays boil over. As far as the story itself goes though, we get the warmup act before the training, where we will meet the tributes properly, and learn who is suspicious, who might be friendly, and who to watch out for. Also, "Saki" is just a nickname for Sacajawea for obvious reasons._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 6: To Be a Champion**

Korra and Victor did not linger long in the training center, although they had also not been the only ones to visit the training center for a little bit, and so while it was not surprising to see a couple of tributes join them on the way up, Korra was a bit surprised to see Amy follow them.

"What were you doing down here?" she asked curiously, glancing from her to Victor, to the other two tributes that were waiting for an elevator—Sacajawea (Saki) from District 12, and Garrett, that massive boy from District 6.

"Just mentor things," the tiny girl indicated, "I wanted to meet up with my buddy '91."  
"91?" Victor tilted his head,

"Aye," Amy nodded as the elevator doors finally opened, "Aveline is '91, and I'm '92. Whoever wins this year will be '93. See the pattern?"

"Got it" Victor nodded, and then turned to the large District 6 boy who was next to the buttons. "mind hitting 2 for us?"

With a silent nod, the large boy hit 2, 6, and 12 so that the occupants of the elevator could get off at each floor. Amy's eyes briefly met Saki's, but neither one said anything, and neither Korra nor Victor noticed this exchange of looks.

Without hesitation, Korra flopped onto the sofa, still in her full costume, once they reached the 2nd floor a few moments later. "man… WHAT. A. DAY!" she laughed, stretching her arms and hanging one of her legs over the back of the sofa. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"There will be plenty of time for that." Amy chuckled, heading down the other hallway to find Clove, "just don't stay up too late taking each other's clothes off or whatever it is you kids do."  
Korra rolled her eyes and turned to Victor. "I don't get how she calls us kids when she's 15, and we're 17 and 18," she interjected, "and she's tiny, no less."  
"I can maybe enlighten you on the subject," Delun suggested, "at least, if what my sister says is true anyways—but I digress. Victors and Mentors are very special people. They have seen and done things that no one else in Panem has done. That is why the Capitol holds them in such high regard. They learn and experience things that take most of us decades to learn. That is where Amy's maturity comes from, and since most tributes lack that kind of maturity that comes with winning a Hunger Games, I suppose she feels okay with calling you kids because of it."  
"That was surprisingly insightful for a guy that I thought was just a ditzy airhead," Korra quipped, "I guess I shouldn't have underestimated you, Delun."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the curly-haired man laughed, before sitting up, grabbing a nearby drink, and heading down the same corridor that Amy had gone down. After the tributes were alone, Korra spoke up again.

"So… Hunger Games. This is it, huh—the moment we've been training our whole lives to reach."

"I'm pretty stoked too, if that's what you're asking," Victor chuckled, sitting next to Korra, who set up to accommodate him, "I don't really care what Amy's message is, but if it involves bringing home another District 2 victor—especially if his name *is* Victor… then I certainly can't complain."  
"What if the victor's name is Korra?" Korra giggled.

"Well… I suppose that it would be the next best thing," Victor shrugged, "but obviously I want to win too. No offense or anything."  
"None taken," Korra agreed, "there's only ever one winner of the games, after all. That's what these are, after all—they're just games." She got up and began heading back to her room, where Victor began following her. Korra began undressing, not really caring if her partner was watching.

"but are they though?" he asked her, "career or not, these are still people we're going to be killing."  
"It's just business," Korra admitted, "and winning means fame and glory. Who wouldn't want themselves a piece of that? The Capitol practically bends to every victor's whim."

"please tell me you've noticed how some of them turn out," Victor warned, "look at Clove… or look at Katsuo and Kaede. They're wrecks."  
"Look at Leto," Korra countered almost instantly, "or Amy, or Enobaria. They turned out alright."

"Then perhaps what we should be saying is that there's no clear-cut way to tell if you're gonna be sane or broken," Victor warned, "I'm no expert—but Leto is right."  
"Right about what," Korra tilted her head, "she's right about a lot of things,"  
"most of the kids that come out of these games alive are much different from how they went in," Victor explained, "for better or for worse."  
"I've noticed Amy's a lot different," Korra nodded, "she was kind of cute when she first started coming to the training centers—now she acts all grown up."  
"Maybe that's what the games do to you?" Victor suggested for a moment,

"I guess we'll see." Korra shrugged, now in nothing but her facepaint and undergarments, "we've got all day tomorrow to learn a bit about who we're up against, and maybe get a few hints from some of the Capitol staff about what the arena might be like."

"Heh" Victor chuckled, "then perhaps I should stop staring at your hips and get some sleep, hmm?"  
"I worked hard to become this fit," Korra smirked, "no point in looking like this if you can't show it off at least once, right?"  
"I certainly don't mind the view," Victor winked.

"Bah, go to sleep," Korra laughed, "you can take off my clothes another night."  
"I'll hold you to that," Victor laughed, leaving Korra alone in her room, and heading back to his own room where he changed and crawled into bed fairly soon. Korra was also in bed within minutes, and asleep nearly as quickly.

Korra's dream that night involved her winning the hunger games and returning to the Capitol as a hero. Even they were fawning over her, showering her with the praise and glory that only a victor could earn outside of the Capitol citizenry themselves. Oddly, Victor was absent, but perhaps that was her mind's way of shutting out the fact that her district partner would have to die in order for her to come out of that arena alive.

She got to see footage of herself, where she was shown fending off enemy tributes with her bare hands. Her uniform was similar to Amy's and Ava's, but perhaps her theory that the Capitol had standardized the arena uniforms was true. She would find out in a week.

The last thing she remembered was returning to District 2 and being carried to her new victor's mansion on the backs of throngs of cheering people, proud of their newest champion.

Needless to say, she woke up with a smile on her face. Briefly showering, she discovered a mostly black outfit waiting at the foot of her bed for her—the uniform for the training center.

She emerged from her room grinning, and found Victor making his way to the breakfast table as well, where they were greeted by Delun and with quiet nods even from their stylists. A stylist had to eat too, after all, and while they were slender, they clearly had meat on their bones. Amy was also present, but Clove was nowhere to be seen. Victor asked about it.

"She's still down and out," Amy quipped, "not exactly a morning person, that one."

"Do you have any mentoring tips for us?" Korra asked with a tilt of her head,

"Of course," Amy nodded as she ate, "you're careers—you know what to do. Show off your skills and hold nothing back. Let the others know how dangerous you are, and look out for kids that could become strong allies or deadly enemies—the usual, in fine."

Korra and Victor exchanged looks and then smirked at each other, before quickly shoveling their breakfast down and getting up to head downstairs.

"Last one there's bloodbath fodder!" Victor taunted as Korra raced after him.

"First one there gets shot by '12." Korra retorted as the two tributes disappeared from the apartment to the elevators that would take them downstairs.

"Well…" a voice grunted from one of the hallways. Amy cocked her head towards the sound and saw Clove in her nightclothes again, "someone's got some enthusiastic tributes."

"and here you're acting like that's a bad thing," Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Not necessarily," Clove shrugged, "Cato and I were like that, and one of us became a victor. However, they're clearly oblivious to the things that you me and Delun were talking about last night."

"Well, there's no point in getting them worked up unless one of them survives." Amy pointed out, "let's let them have their fun, and we can talk to them about it if it ever comes up, or if one of them becomes a victor. They'll have to inevitably visit District 12 on their tour either way."  
"I don't think they're gonna look for allies in '12 though." Clove pointed out, "you certainly didn't."  
"I don't expect them to," Amy indicated, "but just as Ava respects District 2, I respect District 12, and you of all people should know why."  
"I do," Clove nodded, "Let me assure you…"


	7. Chapter 7: The Death Sentence

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Sorry for the hiatus. Happy Holidays everyone (and that's my excuse). Anyhoo, now we're back, and I've got something special in store today. We start seeing a bit of Korra's more curious side, and get to meet the tributes, from the plucky District 1 pair all the way down to the mysterious District 12 tributes. Happy Reading!

**CHAPTER 7: The Death Sentence**

Victor and Korra were the first tributes down in the training center, which might have gone to say something about their enthusiasm. They looked around like kids in a candy shop, their eyes lit up with all of the state-of-the-art equipment that they were surrounded by.

"Well… this makes the academies look like District 12 or something," Korra chuckled. "everything here is so amazing… I dunno where I want to start!"

"Well, you can even try your hand at… well, hand-to-hand—right over there." Victor motioned towards one of the many combat stations, "The Capitol spares no expenses, you know."

Korra smirked and cracked her knuckles. Activating the mechanism for the hand-to-hand station, Korra donned a pair of fingerless gloves with metal plating on the tops that ended right at the knuckles (with a hinge-like joint at the wrists). She recognized them as standard-issue gloves for the arena uniforms lately, and so figured that it was the Capitol's way of encouraging hand-to-hand fighting and brawling in the event that a tribute was otherwise unarmed. Korra would put them to good use in the arena. In the meantime, she began practicing, using her fists and feet to lay some serious hurt on the attacking holograms, blocking (holographic) weapons with surprising accuracy.

Victor stepped towards the heavier weapons, taking an axe for himself and swinging it with style. So he was the bruiser type then—Korra would have to remember that. She planned on watching everyone the same way that Amy had done the year before. After all, that tiny girl had won the games, and that was Korra's ultimate goal. Honor, glory, fame, and riches were all in the line, and that was a prize Korra had spent her whole life working towards.

Soon they were joined by Cobalt and Vivian from District 1, both of whom soon proved to be the more agile types. The boy was a skilled knife fighter that might have made Clove or Amy smirk in approval, while the girl used longer swords. It did not take long for them to form their usual career alliance after a bit more of watching each other's skills. Thus, the 93rd career pack was born, with Vivian, Korra, Cobalt, and Victor all shaking hands right as Districts 3, 11, and 12 walked in.

"I think that might be record time for fastest career pack ever formed," the District 3 boy quipped. Korra's eyes briefly followed Saki and her partner over to the archery station, before turning back to the rather small District 3 pair.

"Koshu Varada, District 3," the boy extended his hand. He couldn't have been more than 15. His partner introduced herself as Argenta Lao a moment later, and she looked even younger than him.

"Awfully bold of you to come up to the careers like that," Korra quipped,

"I'm not afraid of you," he chuckled, "but I'll use this week to either prove why you should like us, or why you should worry about us…"

The calm, cool way that Koshu had said this did actually strike the career pack as bold, but they were not sure that they wanted him and Argenta on their team just yet. Neither one of them seemed fazed though, and so they went off to work with traps and other building materials, like District 3 so often did.

'11 and '12 were likely going to be valid contenders like they had been now for a while, and once again Korra took a moment to watch Sacajawea. She had looked threatening during the chariot parade, and so the career girl wondered if that was just the District 12 stylists Amadeus and Celine going above and beyond the call of duty, or if this girl had the strength to back her appearance up. However, she was distracted before too long by Victor, who challenged her to a spar. Korra went back to her business and before she knew it, the other tributes had all showed up and were training in the various positions.

One of the odder pairs this year was District 6, which had a younger girl of about 13 paired with a more heavyset young man that was probably 18. Korra recognized him as the young man who had been in the elevator with them after the chariot parade, and as he equipped himself with a mace, it was clear that he was going to be a deadly force. His little partner Alayna used throwing knives, although it was clear that Garrett was the more dangerous of the two—even from a pair of tributes that recognized the abilities of tiny young ladies. The last 2 Hunger Games had both been won by diminutive girls, after all. Maybe there was something in the water, but it seemed that every year produced stronger and more dangerous tributes than the last. Such was Victor's observation anyways, as he glanced from his own strong alliance to some of the other tributes honing their skills. This continued on for an hour or two before a soft but firm voice was heard—Victor knew it did not belong to a tribute.

"Ah, Sacajawea Kwan; just who I wanted to see."

Sacajawea spun around, and her eyes widened. Everyone else in the training room turned their heads as well. In front of the District 12 girl was none other than President Snow himself. Naturally, all of the tributes were rather confused as to what the President of Panem was doing down here, but none of them dared say a word. Even Korra and Victor were frozen with awe.

"What did you need me for, Mr. President?" Saki raised her eyebrows;

"I just need to borrow you for a moment. It will not be long." Snow offered his hand. Warily, Saki took it and followed him out of the training hall.

Snow led Sacajawea to a large set of screens depicting life in the Mining district. They depicted the citizens at their day-to-day lives, unsuspecting of anyone watching them.

"Have a seat if you wish," Snow offered as he sat down, taking a white rose from a nearby vase and replacing the one on his suit with the new one, "Tell me, girl—what do you see there?"

"That looks like District 12." Saki shrugged, "is it?"

"It is District 12," Snow nodded, "A fine component of our fine nation. However, it has come to my attention that it and the locals have become rather… rebellious. Is this true?"  
"I'm not sure." Saki shrugged, "I do not know every—"

Snow did not answer, and instead flipped a remote that showed Sacajawea speaking to several other citizens, clearly pumping them up for some kind of small-scale rebellion.

"I would appreciate it if you would not try and lie to me, young lady." Snow insisted, "If your little rebellion was successfully carried out, it would only lead to ruin. You are here for a reason."  
"You rigged my reaping," Saki exclaimed, although she kept her voice a monotone.

"You are here for a very specific purpose." Snow reaffirmed, "However, I am a man who practices what he preaches, and so I will not lie to you. You are not going to return from that arena."

"And what happens if I outsmart the other tributes?"  
"Then you will return home," Snow replied without skipping a beat, "But do you see them? Do you see all of those people?" He motioned back towards the screens, where one of them depicted Sacajawea's siblings and parents.

"You will kill them, won't you?" the teen narrowed her eyes.

"Your family; your friends; your district—all reduced to ruin. Is that what you wish for?"  
"No," Sacajawea sighed, "No it is not."

"Let it not be said that I am not merciful, however." Snow continued, "Your partner, Mr. Pescado, has not been involved, has he?" the question seemed more rhetorical that interrogative.  
"I have not seen him," Saki insisted, and was being honest this time. Snow seemed to realize this, and so did not try to coerce the girl further.

"If you wish, you can try to bring him home." Snow offered, "but you, young lady, end your journey here—the 93rd Hunger Games arena is where you and your dangerous ideas will be put to rest."

Naturally, being told when one was going to die was not exactly an easy pill to swallow. Sacajawea remained stoic and silent.

"Do you understand the severity of this request, Ms. Kwan?" Snow repeated.

"Would you rather me step off the platform before the countdown finishes?" Saki offered.

"If you wish for that to be the same fate as your sisters, then by all means, please do." Snow replied.

"You're tying my hands really tight now, aren't you? Next you're going to specifically tell me to place 4th between the girl from 7 and the boy from 2, aren't you?"  
"Do not be silly, child—but if anyone outside catches on that you are aware of your odds, there will be trouble. Convince me otherwise."

"What are my odds then," Saki raised her eyebrows, "zero?"

"You are an observant one indeed," Snow nodded, "you are dismissed."

She returned to the training center, looking somewhat shaken, but still managed to keep herself composed. She simply shook some hair out of her face and returned to the archery station, shooting bulls-eyes with rather impressive skill. No one, not even her partner Jeremy, dared ask what had been said, and they all left her be—except for a girl from District 2…


	8. Chapter 8: A Mysterious Ally

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There are similarities between the Korra/Saki meeting and the Chel/Ava meeting from the 91st Hunger Games, but I assure you that the two sets of tributes are very different. Also, no they are not romantically attracted to each other or anything like that-just friends... or at least, Korra is suddenly really close friends with Saki. Their relationship is difficult to figure out at the moment. Either way... Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 8: A Mysterious Ally**

It was Korra Francisco who approached that District 12 girl. Korra noted the determination on that girl's face, coupled with her skills. Oddly, and perhaps ironically, she began taking interest in this mysterious tribute. She had promising potential in the career pack in the District 2 girl's eyes, and so she did to Saki what another District 2 girl had done to a District 12 girl two years ago: she approached Sacajawea.

"What did the president want?" Korra tilted her head, her wild auburn strands falling to one side.

"A bit too much," Saki admitted, "what do you need, '2?"

"Hey, hey, don't take that 'tude with me," Korra raised her hands in the air, "I just wanted to see what's up—and wanted to say that you've got some pretty rocking skillz with that bow—skillz with a Z."

"Did you really just say skillz with a Z?" Saki raised an eyebrow.

"Damn straight I did." Korra laughed, "anyways, I was wondering who you were allied with in the games. You probably know where this is going."

"Do you want your entire pack to die?" Saki warned;

"Whoa, whoa," Korra shook her head, "Hey… here I was trying to be friendly. I thought being an asshole was District 2's job."

Saki sighed, looking over Korra's expression. She appeared almost naïve to the veteran District 12 girl, which was ironic because in her Saki could also see courage and great strength. She was a warrior without a purpose.

"Meet me on the roof tonight at 9," Saki indicated, "I'll explain it there. If you don't show, I'll assume you're not interested."

Korra simply nodded before returning to meet back up with her comrades, who unsurprisingly asked how the talk with Saki had gone.

"She's still mulling it over," Korra explained, "let's get back to work."

The careers worked on their skills until around lunchtime, where all 24 of the tributes shuffled into the cafeteria with trays full of food. Some tributes from the outer districts had not eaten this much food in their entire lives and so were loading their plates to enjoy the Capitol's bounty while they still drew breath. Others used this as an opportunity to converse with other tributes and potentially make friends or allies. Few victors ever won their games solo. Notable exceptions were Katniss Everdeen during the 75th Hunger Games, and Leto Irizari during the 35th Hunger Games (both of which stood out among a few others who had performed this feat, due to their exceptionally high kill counts).

Korra glanced around to see who was talking with whom. Jeremy from District 12 and the District 11 pair—Sheaf and Laura—were talking together, while Sacajawea sat nearby, but seemed a little detached. She watched that girl for a while with interest, noting that her expressions seemed suddenly less confident than they had been when she had walked in. Was she afraid of the other tributes, or was there something far larger on her mind? What had President Snow wanted with her? she was eager for tonight where she would find out. She had to find a way to shake off Victor though—she'd tell him what was up if she felt like he could keep a secret, but she didn't exactly think that Saki wanted her secret getting out to everyone. On the other hand, part of her was wondering what Snow could have done to her to make her behave that way. Snow was a benevolent man who kept Panem alive—running the country from the Capitol—the great beating heart of this magnificent country. That was what she and the others from District 2 had always been told anyways, and with the prosperity of their mighty district, Korra had never really had a reason to doubt it.

"So…" Vivian snapped Korra out of her thoughts, "what's up, '2? You seem out of it…"  
"Just thinking about things," Korra admitted, "I think I was up a bit too late yesterday in a fit of excitement about hitting the training center." This was partially true, although that was not the main reason Korra's thoughts were wandering. Who *was* Sacajawea Kwan, and why had President Snow sought her out to talk to her personally? That almost never happened to tributes—victors, sure, but the 24 tributes that paid a visit to the Capitol every year almost never got any one-on-one time with Coriolanus Snow. Besides, she was always taught that the Capitol was a gracious benefactor to the districts, and the lifestyle in Districts 1 and 2 reflected this.

Before Korra knew it though, night had fallen, and Victor seemed ready for bed. Korra wouldn't have minded the extra sleep as well, but she wanted to take a little walk, for a very specific reason that Victor either didn't suspect, or simply did not care about.

Tributes were given free-reign of the Tribute Tower, since all of the restricted doors and floors were marked with fingerprint scanners, which were obviously programmed to allow access to Capitol officials (and even mentors for certain rooms) that tributes were obviously not allowed to see. The rooftop was not one of these, however, and so all tributes were allowed to see the grandeur of the Capitol city form the roof of their tallest and most magnificent building.

Korra found Sacajawea atop the roof, gazing out upon this glimmering metropolis.

"Didn't think you'd actually show," the swarthy girl raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not exactly afraid of confrontations," Korra admitted, "so what's up? you're not trying to make this another Chel and Ava thing, are you?"

"Not necessarily," Saki shrugged, "but if you wanna be friends, I'm not about to say no."  
"Well, you *did* threaten me and my career buddies," Korra reminded her, "and I want to know what that's about before I do anything with you."

"In fine,. Snow told me that the Gamemakers want me dead. I do not feel safe divulging all the details here, but I know that I will be targeted by the Gamemakers like crazy. Thus, if you recruited me, you'd have to deal with that too."

"That just sounds like a challenge," Korra chuckled, "winning the Hunger Games on Hard Mode while also gaining a kickass ally? I think that's pretty cool."  
"It's…" Saki began, "it's complicated. But it won't be easy."  
"Last time I checked, chica," Korra put a hand on Saki's shoulder, "these were the Hunger Games. Even if two of us become best friends, one of us still has to kill the other. It ain't ever pretty."

Despite this, Korra still noticed that Saki looked upset about something. Maybe it was just her own excitement of the games (being a volunteer and all), or maybe it was something else, but Korra wanted to help change the District 12 girl's mood a bit for the better. Little did she realize that this was part of their mentors' plans.

The next morning, Korra explained to the others the idea of letting Sacajawea join their ranks.

"Is she good?" Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me," Korra retorted, pointing to where Saki was shooting arrows. Her first one hit the bullseye, and her 2nd one hit the first one so hard that it split and splintered. Korra was glad that she had gotten their attention right as Saki had done something impressive.

"Well I'll go talk to her then," Victor indicated, and with that he strode confidently over towards the archer girl, getting her attention. A few seconds later, there was nodding and the two tributes returned to the group.

"Guys," Victor announced proudly, almost as if this whole thing had been his idea, "say hello to Sacajawea Kwan." The dark-skinned girl waved gingerly, but was greeted warmly, shaking hands with Cobalt and Vivian, and getting a playful bear-hug from Korra, who nearly squeezed the life out of the much more slender girl. She grunted and called her out on this.

"Korra… you're… crushing me…"

"sorry 'bout that," she chuckled, setting Sacajawea on her feet, "I guess I just got a little excited was all."  
"Does someone have a girlfriend?" Vivian teased, making both Korra and Saki go so red that they froze for a second.

"NO!" they chanted simultaneously. Korra had it worse off because her lighter skin showed more of the fierce blush she was making. "Can two girls not just be friends?" Korra continued, "You know… especially two that are going into the Hunger Games together?"

"Relax, '2," Vivian laughed, "I was only joking. "I didn't mean to offend you, but MAN you got defensive when I said that. Anyways, let's not worry about that, and worry more about impressing these other tributes with our mad skills."

"That's 'mad skillz' with a Z, Vivian," Korra corrected. Even Saki laughed at that one.

And thus training continued as the day wore on. A few times, Saki and Jeremy's eyes met, and they exchanged glances, but the careers were still too absorbed in their weapons and fighting to worry much about her. She had proven her skills with ranged weaponry, and earned her place in the career pack, and so they figured that they had garnered a valuable ally for the games.


	9. Chapter 9: Playing the Odds

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: _A slight delay, I know. I really need to get back on track with this. Perhaps as school starts up for most people I will. Whatever the case, here in our 9th installment we get to see a bit of Aveline as she and her tributes discuss poor Sacajawea's impossible odds, and a bit of District 2's shenanigans between Korra and Victor. _  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 9: Playing the Odds**

Shortly after training had ended for the night, Saki bade the other careers a fond farewell and met back up with Jeremy on their way up to the 12th floor.

"So is that the end of our alliance then?" he asked her, "It's not like I didn't notice."  
"No, it's not that," Sacajawea began,

"I don't think they're going to recruit me, Sheaf, or Laura, Saki." He warned.

"I don't either," Saki acknowledged, "but hear me out. So… you know that my odds are zero, right?"  
"They are?" he paused, "no, I didn't… how did—was this what Snow talked to you about?"  
"She sighed. "To cut a long story short, yes it was. Long story short, he told me if I won, that '12 would be leveled."  
"What the hell?!" Jeremy looked skeptical, "how can he do that?"  
"You know the whispers of rebellion?" Saki piped up, "well, I'm one of the leaders of it. Snow rigged my reaping for the purpose of getting rid of me."  
"So why are you siding with the careers?" He tilted his head,

"Well, think of it this way:" she began, "if the Gamemakers decide to rain fire down upon me… I'll be with them instead of you guys, which in turn means they'll get caught in the Gamemakers' crossfire, not you all. Secondly, if I am with the career pack, I can help keep them away from you and '11 until much later, or I am killed. Obviously I still want a District 12 victor even if I know it can't be me. So, you're obviously candidate #1 here, Jeremy."

"What if they see through your trick?" Jeremy pointed out as they sat down.

"Then they kill me instead of the Capitol," Sacajawea shrugged, "either way, I'm going to die. Just make sure that you and '11 are able to run or fight—your pick."

A moment later, little Aveline walked into the room. Even at 17 years old, she had hardly grown an inch since her victory in the 91st Hunger Games.

"You know of my plight, don't you?" Saki turned to her mentor,

"I do," Ava nodded, "I figured that something like that was up, but you only verified it for me."  
"I'm not going to hold back," she insisted, "If I'm going to die, I'm going to go out in a blaze of glory."  
"Just don't do anything that could compromise us in District 12," Ava warned, "I'm sure if they wanted to, the Capitol could spare the victors and then bomb everyone else, so it's not even me that I'm worried about here."

"I won't," Saki agreed, "but you should know by now, Ava—just how clever District 12 really is."

"How else do you think I won my games," Ava smirked, "well, Chel helped a lot, but perhaps if you really are contemplating an alliance with the careers, Saki, maybe one of them can help you. It's a tough risk though; Last year the career tributes were our biggest threat, even if I liked them more than Monica."  
"Monica was off her rocker though," Saki admitted, "even her sister Moneta agreed."  
"So I've heard," Ava nodded, "but my point is just to be careful."  
"Well, that Korra girl from District 2 seems to really like me," Sacajawea chuckled, "she might even have a crush on me."  
"I… don't exactly know what to say to that," Ava shrugged, "but obviously don't get too attached to her. On the other hand, try to learn more about the tributes you talk to, and especially about that District 2 girl then. Learn what she likes and what she wants from the 'games. Most of us just want to survive, but career kids sometimes have other views. Amy, the victor from last year, wanted to send some kind of massage I think?" She thought back to the tiny victor of the 92nd Annual Hunger Games and her interview, but figured she'd have to ask Amy Zavala herself.

"Got it," Saki nodded. "we've still got 4 more days of training before the private sessions, and that's where I think we'll be able to leave the biggest mark."

Those four days did pass fairly quickly though, and before the other tributes knew it, it was time for the private sessions. For some, such as Districts 1, 2, and 5, which were famous for producing lots of victors, these were exciting times to prove to the others that they were formidable opponents. Others such as Districts 12 and 11 usually worked to prove that they were not a force to be counted out just yet. Some of the less victor-heavy districts were a bit more worried, since they figured they would score low, but there was usually a surprise or two every year.

"Want to place a bet," Victor offered, turning to Korra.

"I'd love to," Korra quipped, "with all the money that tributes don't have."

"Clearly someone has never heard of a Gentleman's bet." Victor countered, "Just a little fun contest before we show the Capitol who rocks."

Already, the tributes were lining up behind them (except Cobalt and Vivian, who were ahead of them) as they waited their turn to show their skills to the Gamemakers.

"Alright, what's the wager?" Korra's interest piqued.

"Whoever scores higher wins," Victor explained, "if we both score 12s… we tie, or something like that."  
"Well, you better hope to get a 12 then," Korra smirked, "because that's the cloest you'll get to tying with me. I'm gonna do so well that they'll give me a 13."

"Still out of 12," Victor raised an eyebrow.

"You bet," Korra laughed. "I'm here to make history as the most awesome tribute to ever come out of the games! One of the kids in this building is coming back home, and so I've gotta do what I can.

"Yup," Victor quipped, "one of us in this line is a victor in the making… and that's not counting my name puns—otherwise there's two."

"Good one," Korra elbowed him, "but anyway, you've got yourself a bet. We'll find out the results tonight obviously, and so may the odds be ever in your favor…"

Soon Cobalt Efran was called into the training room to demonstrate his skills. 15 minutes later, Vivian Nelson was called in, and another 15 minutes after that, Victor's name was called.

He stepped inside and saw the Gamemakers glancing down at him, with Head Gamemaker Zurok standing in the middle, her trademark large wings and pointed ears making her stand out. Even the Capitol's most loyal district didn't understand the extent of Capitol fashion.

Her voice though, was much more soothing than Victor expected, and it had a motherly tone to it.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games, Victor Caruso," she cooed, "you have 15 minutes to present your chosen skill. Begin!"

Victor took a large battleaxe in his hands much like Chel Colorado and Marcus Romero from 2 and 1 years ago respectively. His mind briefly raced back to the Justice Building Stage, where statues of those aforementioned tributes stood as a heroic reminder of what made a Hero in District 2. Victor found it particularly funny, since neither of them had won their Hunger Games—but their selflessness, courage, cunning, and strength had gotten them far.

Victor planned to win it though, even if he didn't get a "Hero Statue".

He might not have been as large as some of the earlier career tributes, but he had a powerful swinging arm, which he demonstrated skillfully against the holographic assailants that he set to come after him. His defensive skills and counterattacks worked effectively to dispatch his opponents.  
Victor's favorite weapon was an axe, but he also demonstrated skills with swords and clubs as well, to demonstrate versatility alongside his strength. Soon he gave a bow, and was dismissed.

"_Korra Francisco!"_

Korra eagerly hopped up from her seat as her name was called, high-fiving Victor on his way out as she went in. she was greeted by the same Gamemakers, who told her the same thing they told Victor.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games, Korra Francisco," Zurok smiled, "you have 15 minutes to present your chosen skill. Begin!"

Korra started out by donning some metallic gloves and then grabbed a sword. Seconds later she began hacking away at various targets with vigor. She demonstrated strength and agility with these tricks, before throwing her sword through a holographic dummy and reverting to her fists. The holograms were only programmed to dissipate when they were hit to the point of killing. It took KOrra a good few strikes, but eventually she made a few of them break apart. Had that been the actual Hunger Games, she would have been able to theoretically kill a tribute with her bare hands. after 15 minutes passed, she was dismissed, wearing a satisfied smirk on her face. As Koshu Varada from District 3 was called in, Korra headed for the elevator to meet back up with Victor—they had a good number of things to discuss in the downtime between now and the revealing of the scores…


	10. Chapter 10: The Scores

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And here's the moment we've been waiting for-the scours for our tributes! Victor and Korra get to learn who (if anyone) won their bet, and we get a little more intel on what happened during the infamous 77th Hunger Games, which is the only time a 12-year-old ever came out of there alive. Otherwise, just a bit more scene-setting and other fancy things. Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 10: The Scores**

"So now it's just a matter of waiting to see our scores," Korra indicated as they got back to the 2nd floor.

"Even then though," Amy warned, "scores do not always dictate the odds of winning. Remember Aveline form the year before mine? She scored a 5."

"True, but clearly she was holding back somehow," Victor noted, "that girl was a fighter."  
"Ikki Ortolani didn't hold back 16 years ago," Amy warned, "and she scored a 4—and won her games."  
"I hear a lot about her," Korra tilted her head, "how do you know about her though either? I was a baby when she won, and you weren't even born yet, Amy."  
"It's called doing research," Amy chuckled, "but she is also significant because not only was she the youngest victor to ever win the games, but she is also the only kid under 14 to ever do so."  
"You're one of the youngest victors too though, right?" Victor reminded her,  
"Me, Leto, and then two boys, yes." Amy indicated, "Finnick Odair from District 4, and Alice DeSiete from District 8. We're the only 14-year-olds to win. No 13-year-olds have ever won the games, and a 12-year-old has won once—that was Ikki."

"Were the careers idiots that year or something?" Korra tilted her head, "how the hell do you get outsmarted by a 12-year-old?"

"Three of them scored perfectly, actually," Amy quipped, "and the other three scored 11s. See—Ikki is an example of how kids can be dangerous. She came from a family of electricians, and knew a few things going into the arena. She spent most of her time rigging up almost the entire place, and so when the careers finally decided to turn on her at the end, she simply activated her electric traps, frying them all in such a drastic way that I'm sure Beetee was proud."  
"What's your point with that story?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow, "I don't think Koshu or his partner are electricians, or even 12-year-olds."

"My point is that until a cannon goes off and their face appears in the sky, every tribute, no matter how big or small or old or young—is a threat. Do not ever stop believing that for an instant."

"That… is a fairly valid point," Victor nodded, "Glad to know you're on our side, Amy."  
"But of course," Amy chuckled. "Now let's kick back and see what those scores are…"  
A few hours later after Sacajawea and Jeremy from District 12 finished their private sessions, Delun came in, flipping on the television. "Training Scores are coming up!" he beamed, "and don't go too far afterwards—Misaha and Zakuya should be ready with your interview outfits soon!"

Naturally, Korra and Victor bounded for the sofa, jumping over the back and into the seats as they watched the anthem play before scores, faces, and odds began to show.

"_Cobalt Efran; District 1, with a score of… 9"  
_"Ready to lose that bet?" Korra elbowed her partner playfully.

"_Vivian Nelson; District 1, with a score of… 10"  
_"Pfft, I've got this in the bag," Victor chuckled, "and to victor go the spoils!"

_"Victor Caruso; District 2, with a score of… 12"  
_"Welp, there it is!" Victor continued, "Beat that, Korra."

_Korra Francisco; District 2, with a score of… 11"  
_"Son of a bitch," Korra swore. "welp, you won. Fine." She crossed her arms, pouting.

"_Koshu Varada; District 3, with a score of… 9"  
_"Oh, relax…" Victor ruffled Korra's hair, "it was just a bet. You have nice hair, by the way."

_"Argenta Lao; District 3, with a score of… 8"  
_"Was that your best attempt at flirting, Victor?"

"_Zack Plumas; District 4, with a score of… 6"  
_"It worked, didn't it? I also never noticed your freckles either. Those are cute."

_"Tiffany Chung; District 4, with a score of… 7"  
_"Stop with this cute thing." Korra pushed at him.

"_Darian Croft; District 5, with a score of… 8"  
_"Well… you two are certainly no Marcus and Amy," Clove quipped as she stepped in.

"_Anna Rosario; District 5, with a score of… 9"  
_"Well of course they aren't" Amy quipped, "no one can be as awesome as Marcus was."

"_Garrett Locke; District 6, with a score of… 11"  
_"I'm biased of course though," Amy added, "also—that kid's gonna be trouble. Watch out for him."

"_Alayna Marth; District 6, with a score of… 5"  
_"His partner won't be though," Korra quipped, but slowly the conversation grew quiet as everyone watched and analyzed the tributes, their odds, and their scores.

"_Carlos Zianja; District 7, with a score of… 7"  
_It seemed almost fitting for a District 7 kid, although Korra also recalled that they used to be a much more potent force than they were recently. Then again, the same thing could be said about District 4.

"_Joan DeLaRosa; District 7, with a score of… 7"  
_Korra might not have known as much as Amy or Clove, but even she knew that some years, a district would produce powerful tributes, and other years they'd have mere fodder.

"_Zhao Takoda; District 8, with a score of… 8"  
_There were some exceptions, at least as of late though. Districts 1 and 2, for example, almost never produced bloodbath fodder, and those that did die in such a way were almost never forgotten.

"_Suzanne Weaver; District 8, with a score of… 6"  
_District 11 had also not had a bloodbath tribute in years though—and had a pretty respectable victor's pool to boot.

"_William Parks; District 9, with a score of… 5"  
_District 5 was an odd case—they often produced an occasional bloodbath tribute, but they had more victors than all but the two career districts.

"_Melinda Franz; District 9, with a score of… 4"  
_District 12 was a trickier case, in Korra's mind. On one hand, they were clearly a rising star, but on the other, there were still bloodbath fodder tributes, such as Ava's brother from the 91st Hunger Games, and several others in recent years before that.

"_Edmund Clarke; District 10, with a score of… 4"  
_Other districts, like 10 and 9, were usually fodder year after year. Korra and Victor both felt that this one would be no different. Then again, Amy's words rang through her head once again. Maybe she shouldn't be underestimating of even the most fodder-like of tributes.

"_Himoto Takeshi; District 10, with a score of… 6"  
_"I remember last year Marcus and I made a bet about who would die first," Amy piped up, "although it ended up happening only because he got in my way before anyone else."

"_Sheaf Twallan; District 11, with a score of… 10"  
_"Betting's just something we do around here," Clove quipped, "but be careful—we're getting into the dangerous territory once again."

"_Laura Talahasi; District 11, with a score of… 10"  
_"Definitely solid threats," Amy indicated, "Be careful of them."

"_Jeremy Pescado; District 12, with a score of… 9"  
_"Seems those three have a pretty solid alliance then," Korra piped up, "we definitely should—"

"_Sacajawea Kwan; District 12, with a score of… 12"  
_"Wow; Seems we made a good choice in recruiting her," the girl's jaw dropped a little.  
"Nothing that another perfect-scorer can't handle," Victor joked. "y'know—when the time comes."

Korra's mind was deep in thought, however, as the others got up around her. Saki had scored perfectly, and she had scored an 11. The kids from District 11 had scored even higher than Dante and Cherry, the kids from last year—and that devious pair had gone down in history as a nefarious set of tributes that had been able to command some of the arena mutts.

Victor had outscored her, but she wasn't worried about him until the endgame. The other threat was going to be that large District 6 boy.

Her mind was briefly taken off of that, however, when Delun reappeared with the white-haired stylist pair in tow.

"I think we all know what time it is." He grinned.

Korra and Victor might not have been the most fashionistic tributes to grace these halls, but it was a nice departure from knowing that in less than 24 hours, a good handful of this building's occupants would be dead. Besides, in most cases the Capitol spared the tributes from their outrageous fashion and instead put them into things that were flashy but attractive. District 8, despite its notorious disdain for the Capitol, actually did particularly enjoy their stylists.

Korra was slightly irked that Misaha would not speak to her at all, but as she and Victor parted ways, she truest that Amy knew what she was talking about when she said that they were the best of the best.

Misaha began by pointing at Korra's clothes, before moving her finger downward, indicating for the younger girl to strip down. With a shrug, Korra did so, revealing a very athletically toned body structure. Nodding approvingly, she instructed Korra to step into a nearby chemical bath much like the ones they had experienced on the trains.

After Korra was cleaned and dried, it was time for her to get dressed and styled. Instead of saying anything, the stylist simply put her fingers on Korra's eyes to close them.

"You want me to close my eyes?" the tribute opened her eyes to see Misaha's answer. She nodded.

Korra closed her eyes and waited. She could feel lotion and makeup being applied to her skin, and the woman even went as far as to dress Korra herself. Korra sat down and stood back up multiple times, but while she couldn't say that this was not slightly awkward, she trusted in the results.

Her trusts were not misguided. When she was finally instructed to open her eyes (the stylist had very gentle fingers that pressed to Korra's eyelids), she actually gasped. Korra was looking at a mirror image of a light-skinned girl with a striking red and orange dress that almost clashed with her auburn hair. She took a few steps, hearing the click of her glittery heels that could be seen beneath the skirts of her dress. There were bangles on her otherwise bare arms, and the dress had a low neck and back to show off Korra's near-chiseled muscular structure.

"It's beautiful!" Korra exclaimed, "I… thank you."

Misaha simply smiled, giving something of a bow to show her acknowledgement, before Korra left the studio to meet up with Victor.


	11. Chapter 11: A Web of Intrigue, Part 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ Apologies for the long hiatus. Luckily I did manage to get several other chapters and works up in the meantime, but resut assured the 93rd Annual Hunger Games will still go on. Korra gets to talk to Caesar, gets to learn a bit more about some of the other tributes, and fun times abound all around._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 11: A Web of Intrigue, Part 1**

Victor was dressed in a suit of slightly darker red than Korra's dress, but it was still enough to strike people as a matching set—a contrast to Amy and Marcus from the previous year (despite that those two had gotten along better).

"Well, don't you look great," he quipped, running a hand through his hair, which Zakuya had apparently decided would look better combed back in a quaint sort of way.

"You don't look half bad yourself," Korra chuckled, "you ready to wow Caesar and the Capitol tonight?"

"You best believe I am," Victor smirked, "I've got to remind people that Victor the victor is here to stay!"

Korra chuckled, but couldn't argue with that kind of confidence. She knew that he obviously wanted to survive just as much as she did, and so she would worry about fighting him when it was time to break up the career pack. In the meantime, she followed Victor over to where the other tributes were starting to line up, where she noticed that she wasn't alone in staring at some of the other designs. Vivian's white dress was an interesting contrast against her dark skin, and the skirts had a semi-translucency to them which caused Victor and Cobalt to glance a bit in her direction.

The girl took it in stride, bumping her hips to make her skirts flow and her jewelry jingle, but otherwise was quiet as she got into line—she would be first after all.

Korra glanced down at the bangles on her wrists, playing with them idly as she watched some of the others. District 5 was always fun to watch, since their stylists seemed to take a similar angle year after year. However, instead of being like the infamous District 7 stylists that had dressed their tributes up like trees for the chariot parade for decades (they had been replaced about 15 years prior), people actually liked what District 5 did with its tribute costumes and outfits.

Sure enough, as Korra glanced past Districts 3 and 4, she saw a black-clad pair of kids with colorful LED lights adorning the boy's suit and the girl's dress. They flashed in various patterns at a fairly slow rate, but at one point, the whole outfit lit up. No wonder the whole outfit was so shiny.

Korra couldn't help but look back at the end of the line to see what '12 and '11 were dressed in, and found that she was not disappointed. District 11's clothing was a bright white that contrasted nicely with their dark skin, while District 12's were a bit more intriguing, going for the opposite effect and all—black. Korra liked the masks they wore—it gave Saki and Jeremy a nice sense of enigma to them.

However, her thoughts were diverted to the stage again when she heard Vivian Nelson's name get called. A few pairs of eyes (many of them boys) watched her sway her hips as she disappeared and sat down next to Caesar Flickerman to begin her interview. While she was clearly good-spirited, she didn't quite have the ditzy airheaded vibe to her that many of the others from her district did. Korra would have to remember that—she had also scored higher than her partner.

Speaking of Vivian's partner… before Korra realized it, Cobalt Efran was being called to the stage. He was a bit more airheaded like the District 1 that Korra remembered, but on the other hand, while District 1 seemed ditzy at times, it was hard to argue with their results—namely, their victor's pool.

But soon, Korra's time came, and she strode out onto the stage, her skirts flowing. Even if she had not scored perfectly, she was very well received.

"Ahh, and here's a fiery one!" Caesar laughed, inviting Korra to sit down in the seat next to him where tributes always sat. "And look at that outfit… Misaha and Zakura certainly know what your best assets are, don't they, Korra?" He was clearly talking about Korra's arms and her large hands, for she had given the Gamemakers quite a display of strength during her private training session.  
"They're incredible!" Korra agreed, "I wish they'd talk so I could say something to them about it!"  
"Ah, they're tricky ones!" Caesar waved his finger, "not even I can get a word out of 'em! Ho-ho!" he threw his head back as he usually did when he laughed this way, and the audience joined him. Her interview continued with typical questions about the Capitol and how she felt about her games. One of the last questions was about her training score, and how it was not quite perfect. Somehow they had known that Korra had been aiming for something like that.

"It's just a number at the end of the day," she shrugged, "a kid a couple years ago won with a 5… I'll win with an 11 just as easily as I would with a 12!"  
"Passion! I like that!" Caesar exclaimed, "But… now here's a rather unique question for you, and you alone. Last year, victor Amy Zavala said she was going to send us a message—and that part of that message was that she was going to bring home another victor from District 2 this year. What do you think of that?"  
"I dunno what her message is," Korra shrugged, "but I'm all for anything that'll put me back on this stage in a couple weeks as a victor, you know?" she raised her fist, where the bangles jingled as they slid up her arm (before sliding back to her wrists as she lowered it again).

"That's the spirit!" Caesar shouted with vigor, let's hear it, ladies and gentlemen… for Korra Francisco… District 2!"

A few moments later Victor and Korra had swapped places, and he was received just as well as she was, considering that he was one of two perfect-scoring tributes. Korra decided to linger around to hear the other interviews, particularly Sacajawea's, and maybe that large District 6 boy. Victor was no Marcus, but he managed to crack the crowds up with his "Victor" puns. He briefly mentioned Amy's message of bringing home a victor this year, and said he'd be just as happy to take Korra's place.

"We pretty much stole the show…" he suggested after he left Caesar's stage and Argenta Lao stepped up. she, like many from District 3, was cool and witty, and his partner Koshu proved to be the same way. Caesar continued going down the list, giving each tribute roughly the same amount of time, even if he knew that many of them were making false promises about returning home as victors. Not that he would ever tell them that the odds were certainly not in their favors, but he knew as well as anyone who the odds were leaning mostly towards—and so most of the money was going towards Districts 2, 1, 12, and 11 again this year, it seemed.

Soon the exotic, LED-clad District 5 pair had finished and little Alayna from '6 was skipping up to the stage. She seemed like a sweet little thing, talking about how her friend Garrett would protect her. That brought a rather interesting dynamic to Korra's mind—had the two known each other before the games, or had Alayna's reaping been why Garrett had volunteered?

She found out the answer a moment later. Alayna skipped past Korra, stopping to wave at the slightly larger girl, a grin on her face.

"Uh… hi?" Korra waved back, but not before noticing the girl's eyes were fairly pink.

Garrett spoke of how he did in fact volunteer to help protect Alayna, and that he would gladly sacrifice himself to ensure that she was able to come home. Korra couldn't help but admire that, although she would still not hesitate to kill Alayna if needs be. To her, the games were simply business—risky, exciting business that involved fame and glory for the winners, and death for the losers. She wanted to not fall into the latter of these two groups. Korra was a bit surprised when laughter erupted from the audience, as Garrett made a joke about 'really wanting some Substance 21 right now'. She had heard of it, and was fairly certain it was a drug, but was not positive.

Either way, when Garrett's interview concluded, he too briefly made eye contact with Korra.

"Did you see Alayna go by?" he asked. Like her, his eyes were slightly pinkish. Was this a result of that "Substance 21" the boy had spoken of during his interview?

"She went that way," Korra shrugged, pointing her thumb in the direction the small girl had skipped off in. Garrett nodded, shrugged a brief "thanks" before lumbering off after her.

As Districts 7 and 8 took the stage, they said a few colorful things, and Korra was fairly certain that Zhao and Suzanne had subtly tried to weave anti-Capitol sentiment into their remarks, but if they did, Caesar either ignored it, or was oblivious to it—or perhaps there had been no underhanded insults at all.

Soon, District 11 was up, and Korra started paying attention again—these interviews would be good.


	12. Chapter 12: A Web of Intrigue, Part 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And it seems that I've gotten back into the groove of things, at least for a while. Thus, we finally reach the end of part I, and the games begin in the next chapter. We get to see Sacajawea's interview, and Korra starts growing suspicious of something she thinks her mentors are hiding. In fine... lots of intrigue._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 12: A Web of Intrigue, Part 2**

Every now and again, a tribute would get reminded of their predecessor by Caesar's antics. District 11 was similar. As Laura Talahasi was called to the stage, she was asked about Cherry Valdez, and whether or not she had known the girl.

"I did, actually," Laura grunted—she was a girl of few words, and her low voice served as further reminder of this. However, her high training score and muscular appearance were clear signs that she was no pushover, and that she would have plenty of people cheering for her. "Cherry and Dante were some clever fellows… almost a bit too clever."  
"Do you think you will be able to match up?" Caesar leaned in closer, slowly building suspense.

"Maybe," Laura shrugged, "Cherry was not me, and I'm not Cherry. But if there are any more of those Night Witches in this arena, you can bet that we'll be working to keep them from killing us!"

"A bold statement," Caesar nodded approvingly, "I personally think those things are rather frightening. I think our Gamemakers will mix things up a bit more than that this time though!"  
"I'm crossing my fingers." Laura quipped playfully. The rest of her interview was fairly simple in nature, but it still elicited cheers once she left the stage and Sheaf Twallan, her partner, was called up.

His interview was fairly similar, and he mentioned Dante.

"Almost everyone in '11 knew Dante and Cherry," he explained, "although funny enough, this is my first time meeting Laura. I'm fairly certain that we'll keep a solid alliance—just like Rye and Sagittaria."  
"Oh my!" Caesar exclaimed, "Rye and Sagittaria… 44th Hunger Games, yes! That takes me WAY back! District 11, District 11, who gives us fruits, gives us strength!"

This drew cheers from the crowds, who chanted the old slogan. This made Korra even more curious. The Capitol seemed fond of District 11, but District 11 did not seem to return the favor if Peacekeeper reports about life in that district were anything to go by.

Soon though, the moment Korra had been waiting for occurred. Sacajawea was called to the stage.

"You know," Victor piped up, "some kids have actually been dismissed early for saying stuff the Capitol thought was rebellious. Think Saki's gonna blow it?"  
"She might," Korra chuckled, "but I'm willing to bet that she won't if you're willing to bet she will."  
"Alright then; you're on!" Victor chuckled, shaking Korra's hand. The two tributes remained quiet as they listened to her interview.

"I would have volunteered anyways," she shrugged, when asked about her reaping, "I was just disappointed that my name got called—it kind of killed the moment, you know?"

"Ah… it seems we can't always be in the spotlight then, right?" Caesar appeared to sympathize.

"I'm fairly sure that '12 has been in the spotlight for quite some time now," Saki quipped, "I think the Capitol is watching us REALLY closely."  
"Oh?" Caesar almost seemed to hope that Saki would say something controversial, "and why's that?"

"Well… look at it this way," Saki explained, "it took us 50 years to get two victors, which was all we had for 74 years. Now, in the last 18 years, we've gotten three new victors. Monica Savage from last year was right—District 12 is back on the map!"

"And what a wonderful tale that is!" Caesar agreed, "ah, Sacajawea my dear, you are a girl full of surprises… what will you be able to offer us once you're in the arena?"  
"The same ol' stuff you see everyone doing there," Saki shrugged, "killing, surviving, winning… that whole deal. If I lose… well, then hopefully someone decent wins, right?" she chuckled. The audience laughed with her, and even Caesar threw his head back in his typical "hoho!" fashion, his bright orange hair nearly flying backwards. For someone so old (he had started interviewing as far back as the 35th Hunger Games), he, like Snow himself, seemed to have the best of Capitol medicine at his disposal, which was a sure cause in prolonging his life.

Soon enough, Saki's interview wrapped up, and Caesar gave her the fanfare she deserved.

"Ladies and gentlemen… Sacajawea Kwan, District 12!"  
The crowds absolutely loved her. As she walked past Victor and Korra, however, she approached Jeremy as the boy's name was called.

"Nice act, Saki," he winked, and Saki smirked, as the two briefly high-fived each other without even stopping their walking.

"I do what I can," she shrugged, walking off as Jeremy took the stage. His interview was not as intriguing as Saki's, since Caesar did not seem to be trying to provoke him the way it seemed he had for Saki. Korra thought long and hard about this. The Capitol must have really had it out for Saki for them to try and go this far just to try and break her. Furthermore, Sacajawea clearly had many talents if she was that talented of an actress. Apparently Snow had seen right through it, however.

Jeremy's interview ended with moderate fanfare, and soon he caught up with his partner, while Korra and Victor returned to their apartment.

"Well that was certainly an interesting spectacle," Victor commented once Clove and Amy came into view again. Either of you have any insights about all that?"

"She's a cunning one," Amy warned, "watch her closely, but don't count her out of your alliance just yet. She's clearly playing the Capitol though."  
Clove and Amy exchanged glances, but this time Korra noticed.

"Another thing," she piped up, "Victor and I had this feeling you two were hiding something from us. You seem to exchange those looks a lot around each other. What's up?"  
"Nothing, really," Amy shrugged, her expression not changing, "Clove and I exchange looks all the time. It's a victor thing really. In fact—we'll be happy to let you in on all of our secrets if you're able to win the games. Any time sooner and they'll just bog down your mind and possibly get you killed by District 11 in the bloodbath or something."

"So you DO have secrets!" Korra exclaimed,

"Everyone does," Clove retorted, "and like hell are we going to tell you kids everything. I can tell you right now, however, that other than our obvious attempts and hopes of keeping you two alive and bringing one of you home, none of our secrets involve you at the moment."

"Fine, I overreacted," Korra sighed, "It's just… I feel like I'm missing something here. Maybe I'm in the wrong, but I do feel justified in being at least a little concerned about what my mentors are saying behind my back, considering that this is my life on the line we are talking about."  
"Don't worry," Amy promised, "we're still on your side. We've taken interest in Sacajawea simply because of curious circumstances surrounding her reaping as told to us by Aveline from '12. We are not going to take her side though. You and Victor are our main targets, and we are bringing one of you home or so help me."

"I suppose that is good enough to know then…" Korra sighed softly. "thank you. I need a bit of air."  
"You've got all night, I suppose," Clove chuckled, watching as Korra stepped out onto the balcony, before closing the door behind her.

She was joined a few minutes later by Victor, who gazed out at the dazzling Capitol lights alongside her.

"I wonder what the kids up in '11 and '12 are seeing right now," he cocked his head upward briefly, knowing that the tributes in the higher districts got a better view of the magnificent city.

"The last day of their lives?" Korra joked. "Actually, something tells me they won't be dying in the opening minutes—I hope Saki stays alive till the end at least."

"Just don't go running off with her like Chel did," Victor teased, "unless you two are going to make out or something. I'd watch it."  
Korra's face went as viciously red as her dress. "Do you want to learn just how hard I can hit you with these fists?" she sneered.

"Whoa, whoa!" Victor chuckled, "If you actually like her, that's not my business. How you feel about anyone else in this building not named Victor Caruso is between you and them. I was just ruffling your feathers, Korra."  
"Marcus Romero you are certainly not!" Korra shook her head, hoping that her blush would soon go away. "Let's not try to provoke each other too much—at least as long as our alliance stands, okay?"  
"Fine, fine…" Victor chuckled. "It's hard to think that in just a few hours we'll be in a death arena, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday we were racing for the stage."  
"Well," Korra smirked, her attitude improving at the thought, "it's what we do. we've trained our whole lives for this moment, and so we gotta make it count, right?"  
"Exactly," Victor approved, "let's let our skills do the talking in the arena. We probably shouldn't stay up too late."  
"Fair enough," Korra chuckled, "Goodnight, Victor."  
"Goodnight Korra."  
The two of them changed out of their interview attire before crashing on their beds. Tomorrow would not just be a big day—for several children, it would be the last day of their lives.


	13. Chapter 13: The Games Begin

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And with this, the 93rd Annual Hunger Games kick off! Kill counts increase, alliances are made, and Korra might have developed a secret crush, or maybe she's finally just discovering a girl that might be her first actual friend. It's hard to tell at this point, but the 93rd arena will surely hold plenty of surprises._  
_Happy Reading!_

**PART II: THE GAMES**

**CHAPTER 13: The Games Begin**

Korra and Victor woke up the next morning feeling fairly optimistic about their chances. They were powerful trained career tributes, and so they knew that they would not be dying in the bloodbath. Korra showered for the day, and for what might be her last time, before returning and finding some neatly folded black and grey clothes on her bed. The getup consisted of the same boots, gloves, pants and T-shirt that had been used for many years now—but the outfit was simple and practical. Korra felt like it also kept the mystery of what kind of arena they would be thrown into as well. The clothes fit Korra perfectly, and she imagined that other than size differences, the only differences each district would see were the numbers on their shoulders. Korra's shirt obviously bore a number 2.

"Are you ready for this?" Amy raised her eyebrows as Victor and Korra came to the breakfast table.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Victor chortled, "we've got this thing in the bag. You'll be able to bring home your victor, Amy."  
"…whether his name is Victor or not," Korra added. "We've got a promising career pack this year—and I don't think Sacajawea is a pushover."  
"I think you liiiiiiike her…" Victor teased, earning a punch from Korra.

"HUSH!" she did seem to get very defensive, "can a girl respect another girl without your mind producing images of them making out?"

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes during breakfast, after which Victor apologized, and Korra forgave him. Shortly afterwards, Peacekeepers came to haul them off to their potential deaths.

As careers, Victor and Korra were not worried about dying in the bloodbath, although they could certainly see fear in the eyes of some of the other tributes as they boarded the hovercraft. Korra saw Saki bumping fists with her partner Jeremy before they boarded the hovercraft.

Some of the tributes were excited, while others seemed cool and level-headed. Despite knowing that she was going to die, Saki sat there calmly, a small smirk on her face even as the Peacekeepers came around to shoot the trackers up their arms.

The ride to the arena was not a very long one, and soon Victor, Korra, and the others found themselves in the underground catacombs that would lead to the launch tubes and thus, the arena. Korra found herself alone for a moment before she was met by Misaha, who had something in her hands that she clearly wanted to give the young tribute. Korra figured Zakuya was giving something to Victor right around now as well.

"What's this?" she asked, mostly hoping the stylist would open her hand. She did so, revealing a little necklace with a golden circle the size of a dime in the middle. On one side was a number 2, and on the opposite side was a little bird with its wings spread.

"Is this mine?" Korra looked skeptical, but then realized that she had not brought a tribute token with her, and so she put the necklace around her neck, tucking the 'coin' into her shirt. She knew that Misaha was not going to verbally answer her question, and the silent but sweet little nod from the white-haired lady indicated the answer to Korra's question.

Soon, however, the time came for Korra to enter the tubes alongside 23 other boys and girls, which would take them to their pedestals, which in turn would take them to the arena. The glass closed around Korra as she stepped inside and she felt herself get slowly elevated to the surface.

As Korra rose up to her pedestal, she lifted a hand to her squinting eyes in reaction to the bright sunlight beating down on her visage. As her eyes adjusted to the new brightness, she saw the golden cornucopia in front of her, its mouth overflowing with weapons and supplies. Most notably, she saw Victor a few spots over far to her right, and at the cornucopia, she saw a wicked-looking sword that was jagged like a lightning-bolt. She knew exactly what weapon she would be fighting to get.

Seconds later, the ominous countdown that signaled the end of several lives began.

"_Sixty… Fifty-Nine… Fifty-Eight…"_

Glancing to her left, she saw the boy from District 5 eying a nearby set of throwing knives, and the girl from District 11 to her right was cracking her knuckles and taking a deep breath as if mentally preparing herself for what was coming. Blinking again, Korra took the next few seconds of the now ticking clock to get an idea of the arena's geography. The grey and brown of the rocky terrain clashed with the vivid blueness of the cloudless sky above her, and it was clear that she would be in her element: rocks and mountains. This was District 2's native element. She was ready for this.

"_Nineteen… Eighteen… Seventeen…"_

Victor was rolling his shoulders as well, clearly rather pumped up for this moment. He (and Sacajawea) had scored higher than any of the other tributes, and so his confidence level was about as high as his odds. Not that Korra expected to die in the bloodbath—no, she expected to survive and also to score a few kills like any respectable career would. Within seconds, Korra knew that it would be time to crack down and make a break for the cornucopia.

"_Three… Two… One…"_

There was a mad dash for the cornucopia as all but a few tributes made their way towards it. Vivian was the first one to reach it, proving her agility. She grabbed what appeared to be a razor-sharp boomerang and lobbed it towards Melinda Franz of District 9—who never saw it coming. She dropped instantly, and Vivian snagged some supplies. District 10's male tribute was the next victim to die, getting clubbed in the back of the head by Laura's swinging arm. That District 11 girl had some girth.

Korra had to zigzag her way through the others, including barely dodging a strike from the District 8 boy, before she saw the girl from District 7 get cut down by Victor. She was a little miffed that he had gotten a kill before she had, but at the same time, Korra was simply doing what she had to in order to win. However, Korra finally managed to grab that jagged-looking sword and soon she got to work. The boy that had been next to her—Darian Croft from District 5, had just grabbed his throwing knives when Korra stabbed him in the back. Moments later, she saw the boy from '4 get a spear through his chest courtesy of Garrett Locke.

Sacajawea managed to fend off a few assailants before she joined Vivian with a bow at her side. It seemed that District 12 girl was sticking with the career pack. She pulled out an arrow and skillfully assassinated District 10's girl with an arrow between the eyes, while Korra went in to finish off District 7's boy. She loved how the sword felt in her hands—it was as if the weapon was made for her. Seconds later, she beheaded the boy from District 9, right as Sacajawea shot down District 8's Suzanne Weaver.

By this point, the bloodbath was starting to die down as Cobalt, Vivian, Victor, Korra, and Sacajawea took control of the cornucopia as the District 11 pair fled with Jeremy into the rocky valleys surrounding them. An odd spectacle was that Garrett had his partner Alayna on his shoulders and a pack on his back, but he was too far off for the others to do anything, and Saki would rather not provoke that giant boy just yet. To her surprise, the others seemed to like her.

"Nice work," Vivian complimented her, "you really weren't joking about those archery skillz were you?"

"Nope," Saki nodded, "skillz with a Z. What's our next plan?"  
Saki had a very professional air to her words, it seemed, and Korra couldn't help but admire it. Was she falling for this girl? She would certainly like to think not, but Sacajawea certainly had some charm to her that could at least warrant her to be a good friend while they were both still alive.

"Gather the supplies," Victor ordered, "there's not a whole lot of foodstuffs this year, so we might have to go on a hunt like the careers did last year.

"Hopefully we don't run into any Night Witches like the kids last year," Saki quipped, and the others nodded in agreement. Few people would likely forget the Night Witches—those red-eyed humanoid mutts from the 92nd and 91st Hunger Games. Similarly, it was not likely that anyone would soon lose memories of the nefarious District 11 pair from the year before that had somehow managed to "reprogram" those mutts and make them fight at their side. Korra wondered if there would be any tributes like those this year—ordinary boys and girls that had managed to do crazy things that made them remembered. She hoped that she could do something like that. As she wiped the blood off of her sword, she went to help Saki gather the supplies inward. The 93rd Annual Hunger Games had begun.


	14. Chapter 14: The Game Master

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _sorry for the slight delay in this chapter. I had a little trouble deciding where I wanted it to go, and so here we get to see a lot of groundwork laid. The career pack splits up, although I think this time it will be more tactical than the , we get to see just how cunning of a rebel Sacajawea was-which in turn explains why Snow wanted her eliminated so badly._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 14: The Game Master**

The first evening was fairly eventless after the initial bloodbath, and so Saki and the careers managed to get settled in fairly quickly and comfortably. A brief evaluation of their supplies showed that they had food for maybe a day and a half or two at the most, which meant that they would have to venture into the rocky landscape to test their fates against the wiles of the arena and the other tributes.

Soon the anthem was playing, and the careers comfortably watched the display light up the sky with the faces of the fallen tributes.

_Melinda Frantz, District 9…  
_"I'm calling it right now," Korra quipped, "next year, District 9 will have tributes that actually survive the bloodbath. It's been too long."

_Edmund Clarke, District 10…  
_"Isn't that more of a reason to think they'll keep being fodder?" Vivian retorted,

_Joan Delarosa, District 7…  
_"Maybe we stand at the precipice of change," Sacajawea suggested. "Look at my own district over the last couple of decades…"

_Darian Croft, District 5…  
_"Are you sure you're not just siding with your girlfriend?" Cobalt teased, causing the dark-skinned girl to blush furiously as well.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Korra snapped back.

_Zack Plumas, District 4…  
_"You do know that we only tease you two because Korra gets so defensive over it, right?" Vivian giggled

_Himoto Takeshi, District 10…  
_"Well it's not funny!" Korra complained, "we're just friends. I'm not gonna fall in love with someone that either has to kill me or get killed before we can go home…"

_Carlos Zianja, District 7…  
_"Relax, Korra," Victor reassured her, "you're really easy to rile up. It's in good fun."

_William Parks, District 9…  
_"I just don't like it, okay?" Korra admitted, "Saki killed more than anyone else today, and so I respect her as a valuable team member and ally."

_Suzanne Weaver, District 8…  
_"Fair enough," Vivian shrugged as the holograms in the sky disappeared. "although, didn't you get three of those tributes, Korra?"  
"Well yeah…" Korra admitted, "but you get my point, don't you?"  
"Of course, Victor agreed, "we admittedly were just getting a kick out of your overreactions."

"Well, you do know that I've got a guy back home I like, right?" Korra retorted.

"Oh, I know all of the inner machinations of District 2, didn'tcha know?" Vivian teased.

"His name is Dante, thank you very much." Korra was actually telling the truth. She regretted not being able to say goodbye to him, but only family was allowed inside the Justice Building to say goodbye to tributes before they were shipped off to the Capitol.

"So what's Saki think about all this?" Cobalt piped up, "does you agree with it or something?"

Sacajawea remained silent, but Cobalt was not about to take that for an answer.

"Come on, '12… live a little! You aren't going to get very far in this alliance if you don't even interact."  
"I'm fine" Sacajawea shrugged, "to be honest, I have far worse things to worry about then being teased because another girl likes me. I think Korra's plenty cute by herself, and she's a good friend. She was the one who suggested I join you in the first place… and admittedly, I'm just a little occupied."  
"Well… let's hear it!" Vivian requested. Saki sighed, realizing that there would be no privacy among this group. She wanted to be alone with Korra not for reasons that the others probably assumed she did, but to talk to her about things the others would not understand. Saki had found her target.

"just thinking about the arena," the District 12 girl admitted, "I wonder if the Gamemakers have traps set out for us… that sort of thing."  
"We'll find out," Victor chuckled, "tomorrow, at least. For now… let's get some rest."

The career pack had a general consensus on that idea, and so soon, they were all falling fast asleep, thinking about whatever fate might await the tribute that learned first of the Gamemakers' traps.

The career pack met this fate much sooner than they had expected. Early the next morning, Korra jolted awake to see Saki screaming as she dove out of the way of what looked like a giant meteor. The fireball slammed against the stone, and the other careers were up in an instant.

Split up!" Vivian shouted, "I dunno why the Gamemakers are trying to get us moving this early, but I don't think they're messing around!"

The career pack split down the middle, with Vivian and Victor going one way, and Korra going another. Cobalt followed his partner westward, while Saki turned and followed Korra to the east. As they continued smashing their way through the sparse growth and keeping their footing over the rodcky terrain, soon Victor and the District 1 pair found themselves clear of the meteors.

Saki and Korra were not so fortunate, given that the meteors were designed to keep the former of the two on her toes a little longer. They would not persist for the entirety of the games, for the Gamemakers did not want to make it so obvious that they were rigging the arena against Sacajawea Kwan—no, Zurok had more style and class than that.

It was about another 15 minutes before the fireballs finally stopped, and by that point, Korra and Saki were completely lost, surrounded by rocks on every side. A small creek flowed to the side, and the girls definitely planned on scouting that out.

"What was that about?" Korra scratched her head, "it's only day 2 and they already want to murder us careers? Did we perform that badly?" She knew that last year the District 2 pair had both scored 12s, but so had Victor this year, and Korra had still scored an 11, which surely was not bad.

"I think I know what it is…" Saki sighed as the two girls sat down on some of the rocks. "I think the Gamemakers really are serious about trying to do me in."

"Are they really trying to kill you this early though?" Korra looked skeptical, "that's not even fair!"  
"Well remember, Korra," Saki reminded her, "I didn't volunteer like you did."  
"Well…" Korra stammered, "that's still not fair! How can they rig the games against you? What did you do to them that made them want to exact their fury on you?"  
Oddly enough, Sacajawea gave Korra a distinct smile.

"I now know what drew me to you, Korra Francisco." She explained, "I am not yet at liberty to say more, but know this—I like you because you have passion. You are deeply devoted to the things you do, and when you feel strongly about something one way or another, you show it."  
"Well yeah…" Korra shrugged, "isn't everyone like that?"  
"Oh no…" Saki laughed, "Especially not in the outer districts. You're a surprisingly rare brand of specimen, Korra. Perhaps a bit naïve, but I think that a few days in the arena will fix that."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Korra gawked  
"Proud too," Saki ruffled Korra's hair, "you'll do just fine."  
"Just fine for what?" Korra looked even more confused now, "stop talking in riddles!"

"Do you trust me?" Saki looked Korra right in the eyes.

"well… yeah," Korra admitted, "I mean, as much as one tribute can trust another in the Hunger Games. But if you're inevitably going to get killed… what are you doing?"  
"I'm trying to make one of my favorite tributes win the games." Saki admitted, "my alliance with '12 and '11 is still intact, and I can't turn against them until I have no other choice, but you, Korra… you're different from the others."  
"You're a two-timer!" Korre exclaimed, "you were going to backstab MY friends!"

"No, no, no…" Saki shook her head, grabbing Korra's arm before the girl could strike. Saki enjoyed how passionate Korra could get when there was something that irked her—it was a passion that she had not seen in nearly anyone else except for the staunchest of rebels. "I'm trying to actually stay by myself, to be honest."  
"Do you really think they'll throw meteors art you the entire game?" Korra was skeptical.

"Nah," Saki shook her head, "they'll think of something else to throw my way. Meteors, mutts, rockslides, by the looks of this arena… it's always something. Zurok's a clever woman. I wouldn't put it past her to try and make my death look like an accident. Hopefully another tribute gets me first."

"you're not going to throw it are you?" Korra seemed to cringe at the very thought. That would go against everything she had ever been taught about the games, at least.  
"Of course not," Saki chuckled, ruffling the shorter girl's hair again, "I'll let the Gamemakers have their fun, but Sacajawaera Kwan is no pushover, nor is she stupid. Korra… here is the request."  
"Let's hear it." Korra flexed her arms to show off her athletic physique, as if trying to impress Saki.

"Are you willing to take the risk of being caught as collateral as the Gamemakers try to destroy me?"  
"Think of how cool that victory would be!" Korra exclaimed to Saki's slight surprise, "Korra Francisco emerges alive despite 23 other tributes AND the Gamemakers trying to kill her friend. I mean… obviously I'd miss you, but you know…"  
"Of course," Saki chuckled. "but you have already given me your answer, it seems."  
"So what does that mean?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"It means…" Saki smirked, "let the 93rd Annual Hunger Games begin…"


	15. Chapter 15: Baiting the Target

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Saki reveals a bit more about herself to Korra-not enough to give who she is away, but enough to pique the career girl's interest. They are still not romantically involved or anythinb, but it is very clear that Sacajawea is very important to Korra, as we will see in this chapter as well as the next._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 15: Baiting the Target**

"So obviously," Saki began, "the first thing we're going to want to do is get a good look at this arena. The cornucopia didn't seem very inviting, and neither does the landscape. I think they want to keep us on our toes."  
"Last year's arena seemed to do just that," Korra shrugged, "now instead of a hedge maze, we've got a rock maze—unless there's rock candy here."  
"Rock candy?" Saki looked curious suddenly.

"It's a real thing back in '2," Korra chuckled, "but I suppose that we can follow the rocks till we find water. They aren't going to let us all dehydrate on day 2, you know."

Right as they said that, a cannon fired.

"Or maybe they will," Saki quipped. However, a second later they saw a girl with a 5 on her shoulders clear a large gap between rocks, passing right overhead without stopping. By the time Korra had grabbed her sword, the bloody-handed girl had vanished from sight.

"Nah," Korra returned her sword, "I think '5 just killed someone."

"Let's keep moving then," Saki agreed, "I'm sure Victor and District 1 can fend for themselves pretty well. We still don't know the lay of the land."

Korra proved to be fairly nimble among the rocky terrain, although Saki was not far behind her. they found narrow little canyons, loose rock formations, and the occasional brooklet which they used to quench their thirst. There was no sign of any of the other tributes, however, even after a full afternoon of searching.

"Where is the edge of the arena," Sacajawea popped what was clearly a rhetorical question, "this place seems to be rather large—and frankly I'm surprised that I haven't been meteored yet."

"well, the sky *is* getting darker," Korra pointed out, "and it doesn't look like meteors to me."  
To Korra, the light shade of grey that the sky had taken on looked exactly like the kind of light, drizzly rainfall that the arid regions in District 2 knew quite well.

"Acid rain," Saki joked. "just you watch."  
The drizzle that Korra had predicted did in fact happen, but contrary to what Saki had suspected, it was merely harmless water that fell on them. It also helped them find the forcefield that marked the boundaries of the arena because of the water hitting it. Another oddity was that there was a little brook that flowed right past it.

"Part of me wants to test if dipping my hand under the water would get past the forcefield," Saki quipped, "the other half warns me that I know better. Watch as the Gamemakers up the voltage right as I touch it so that I get fried immediately."

"Wouldn't be the first time tributes got killed by the forcefield," Korra quipped, "16 years later people still haven't forgotten Ikki."

"I'll leave my curiosity unsated then," Saki chuckled, "let's make camp here for the night."

Korra proved to also be quite the handywoman, helping Saki build a little shelter for the two of them to spend the night in as the anthem played. They would finally get to see who had died on the otherwise uneventful 2nd day. The clouds and rain had dissipated by this time, almost as if by coincidence.

_Tiffany Chung, District 4…_

"Man… '4 really has lost their gusto, haven't they?" Korra raised an eyebrow,  
"It's only been three years," Saki noted, "they've got time to make a comeback."  
"Fair enough…" Korra crossed her arms under her head and laid on the ground, kicking off her boots to let her feet breathe a bit. She chuckled as Saki followed suit.

"You used to sleeping under the stars then?" the District 12 girl glanced at Korra,

"I am, actually," Korra nodded, "I'd sometimes climb the rocks behind my house and just grab a pillow or something. The nights were clear and warm, kind of like these. This arena really reminds me of home."

"I'm fairly used to sleeping outside when the weather's good," Saki admitted, "or sometimes if it was too hot and crowded sleeping with any of my 6 other siblings, I'd just go outside anyways."

"Where do you fit in that brawl?" Korra chuckled, slightly amazed at the thought of so many children under one roof.  
"I'm the oldest," Saki shrugged, gazing up at the starry night once Tiffany's face had vanished. The stars very well have been a synthetic Capitol sky, but they were certainly beautiful. "how about you? You have any siblings?"  
"Just an older brother," Korra shrugged, "he didn't even come to say goodbye. I mean, I know he likes working as a trainer at the academies, but still…"

Sacajawea reached over and ruffled Korra's hair. "I like you, kid. You're a good person a little over your head, and facing a fate you don't deserve."  
"What do you mean?" Korra rolled to face Saki, a confused expression on her face, "I volunteered for this. I knew full well what I was getting into."

"Oh, I wasn't trying to be rude…" Saki clarified, "it's just… I might not have volunteered, but I took the Hunger Games very seriously because I knew that one day I'd be in 'em. Sure enough, the day came where they finally decided to rig my reaping, and here I am."  
"They really do that?" Korra seemed utterly skeptical at the thought, "I mean, I can see why some of these kids wouldn't volunteer… look at all those schmucks who died yesterday…"

"Snow admitted it to me personally," Saki frowned, lowering her voice, "He wants me dead, and that's why I can't win, as I've mentioned before. "and that's why I want someone strong and passionate to win in my place."  
"I don't think you ever told me why he wants you dead."

"That's a mystery for another time, Korra. I promise I'll answer that question before I die though."  
"Ugh, don't say that!" Korra whined, "I mean—I like you and all, but don't taunt me with something and then refuse to explain it! That's just cruel!"

"Relax… this is just a game, Korra." Saki reassured her, "let's get some rest. Maybe can find the others and not wake up to flaming meteors trying to strike me and not hit you."  
"You make it sound like they want you to give them a show first." Korra was still horribly confused at all of this, and she still felt that she did not know half of who Sacajawea Kwan really was.

"They do…" Saki closed her eyes, stretching before curling up. "Goodnight, Korra."  
Korra pouted, knowing that she had lost this battle. Saki rolled over, smiling softly. She had Korra's interest and her attention, which at the moment, was exactly where she wanted that girl.

The next morning they were not greeted with fiery meteors from the sky, and while the light drizzle had not resumed, the clouds were back. The oddest thing to Korra was that instead of dry, arid rocks, there were patches of grass and other plant life growing around them.

"Ooh," Saki groaned as she sat up and got accustomed to being awake. "It looks like we've got another dynamic arena. I wonder what they're going to do—turn it into a rainforest?"  
"Wait what?" Korra smacked her lips. Both girls were clearly a bit tired despite it all.

"every now and again they seem to make arenas that change gradually day by day." Saki explained, "you've watched past Hunger Games."  
"Oh yeah," Korra shrugged, remembering what Saki was talking about. "and so you think this plant life has something to do with a Gamemaker scheme?"

"Probably," she shrugged, "although I don't think this one is specifically geared towards me." After a moment, the two girls sat up and got their things together so they could get up and move on as soon as they felt like standing up.  
"You wanna take a look around and see what's changed—oh hey!" Korra exclaimed as a parachute fell towards Saki. She snatched it up, but nodded at Korra.

"Sure, I…" she had just finished opening the package before noticing Korra's face immediately change to one of horror. No sooner had she finished reading the note that had come with a rather nice sword when she heard Korra scream "HOLY SHIT!"

"_There is literally a huge monster breathing down your neck." ~A~_

Taking the sword by the hilt, she spun around instantly, slashing the monster's face, which appeared to be a large bear mutt. It recoiled, giving Saki a chance to jump to her feet and start running. Korra kept up with her and soon the two of them were being chased by a herd of these bear-like creatures. They knew they had to find a sort of high ground or vantage point to prevent being torn apart by these monsters, but that was easier said than done.

Korra managed to keep up with Saki fairly well, and at one point even passed her, but the moment she did, she realized that she had made a grave mistake.

One of the bear-mutts had just reached Saki, smacking her with its massive paw and knocking the girl face down onto the ground.


	16. Chapter 16: The Berserker

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _and here we get to see a bit of Korra's true savage fighting style. Sacajawea is no fool; she knows a strong, smart tribute when she sees one. Dense as Korra might seem, she's dedicated, and learns quickly. Make of that what you will._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 16: The Berserker**

Seconds later, Korra heard a cry of pain and saw three large lacerations appear in Sacajawea's back, with flecks of blood flying to the girl's left as the monster drew blood.

"NO!" Korra roared, flying into a rage as she pivoted skillfully on her heel, "you will NOT take her from me on day 3, you sunuvabitch!" Clutching her sword in hand, Korra dashed backwards as the bear slammed its limb down on Saki's arm, trying to push her onto her back. She kicked herself off using a rock as leverage, launching herself through the air with her sword drawn.  
The jagged weapon found its mark in the bear-mutt's skull, killing it just about instantly. The only problem was that there were more of them coming—about half a dozen more, at least.

"back me up if you've got your bow and can still use your arm," Korra commanded, turning briefly to her slightly scratched up friend before staring at the charging beasts.

"COME AT ME!" she roared, as if issuing a challenge. Saki watched the scene unfold in front of her, and it made a smile grow on her face.

Korra's fighting style was absolutely vicious. Her movements almost seemed feral, and her attacks were outright savage, especially equipped with that sword. She dashed towards the remaining bears, who seemed less interested in her and more interested in Sacajawea. However, Korra would change their interests quickly. She ran right between them before spinning around and slashing each one in the front, side, or back (depending on their position in relation to Korra) before back flipping out of the center of the herd, which, true to her theory, turned on her. She stabbed the nearest creature in the shoulder, using the metal plating on her gloved fists to slam her fist so hard between the bear's eyes that it flinched, appearing dizzy and disoriented, the wound in its shoulder notwithstanding.

Really, it did not take long for Korra to realize just how useful those gloves were. One of the other bears smacked Korra aside, where her hip struck the ground and she rolled for a second. However, she sprung to her feet an instant later, almost on all fours.

Saki slowed down one of the bears with an arrow to the head, which went through one of the bear's eyes. It was surprisingly still alive, but Korra put the arrow to use, since her sword was still sticking out of the shoulder of one of the other mutts.

She used the arrow almost like a knife, jumping on top of a bear, using one hand to yank its head back before using her other hand to stab it in the throat. This was the first one to actually be killed, but Korra did not stop there. She flipped onto her hands and then her feet and then her hands again to reach her sword, the injured mutt shook it off, and Korra's reaction time was insane. She grabbed the sword by the blade (again thankful for those sturdy gloves the tributes were given as part of their uniforms), slamming the hilt back against the mutt's head, before reeling her hand back. Her free hand snagged the hilt of the sword, which she turned around and used to decapitate the next bear mutt.

This time when she was struck from the side and her right arm slashed, she shrugged it off completely before throwing her sword at another bear, where it lodged in the creature's vitals and killed it instantly. She grabbed Saki's arrow from the first creature she killed, using it as a knife once again, and smirking as she saw Saki shoot one of the three remaining monsters in the eye. She ripped that arrow out as well, plunging it and the first arrow into the creature's throat and other eye, respectively. It was certainly not getting back up after that. Korra's strength was fierce, and she was on a rampage.

It was clear to Korra at this point that the heads of these creatures were their most vulnerable areas, and so she knew what to do for the remaining two. She slid between the legs of the first one, slashing her sword across its stomach. Its guts might have spilled onto Korra's chest if she had not kept her sliding momentum and slid out from behind it. She stabbed her sword into the back of the mutt, hitting what had to have been its central nervous system, doing a good number on it. This just left one more, which barrelled right over Korra, throwing her onto her back and charging right at Saki in one last-ditch attempt to kill the girl it had been programmed to attack.

Korra did not even give it that chance. Ignoring her pain, she sprang up, landing on the monster's back before sliding off and landing in front of it. Her initial strike had slowed its momentum, and now it was time for her to finish the sword was still a few feet back from where she had been knocked over, but Korra was about to demonstrate her brute strength by killing this thing with her bare hands.

Balling her gloved hands into fists, she arced them around as if she was putting them around someone, except that she was slamming her fists into both sides of the monster's skull right before it could rip open her chest. It fell into a heap at korra's feet, where just for good measure, Korra launched her fists into its face again, hearing a crack as her fists connected with their target.

Fuming, Korra stopped, glancing around at Saki and the mutt corpses before turning back towards the former of the two.

"are you alright," her breath was unsurprisingly heavy after that ordeal.

"I'm fine," Saki ndded, "might need to dress my back, and my bow arm is a bit hurt, but I should be able to recover fairly well as long as it doesn't happen again today or tomorrow.

"Good," Korra sighed, "that… was a fight to remember."  
"I'll say," Saki chuckled, ruffling Korra's hair with her good arm, "you're like a freakin' berserker. How did you only score an 11 in training?"

"I slipped," Korra shrugged, "and my mind was occupied thinking about other things, I guess. I was a bit miffed though, since Victor and I had a bet on who would get the higher score—I lost."

"Well still… training scores are just numbers, and that's coming from a kid who scored a 12. I think it's more for the Capitol's betting game than the actual danger of the tributes. We tributes are smarter than we used to be."  
"We are?" Korra tilted her head, knowing that a lot of the early victors were also from District 2, "how?"

"A lot of us, even in '12, know what the Gamemakers look for, and how to manipulate the scores. Look at Ava a couple years ago. She scored a 5 and didn't only win the games, but also killed 7 tributes on her own. Clearly that kid was trying to twist her odds. I heard it was quite the upset in the Capitol."  
Korra was calming down, still breathing deeply from the energy she had expended. "do we have water?" she asked, "I think I'm gonna try a bit of what bear-mutt meat tastes like."

"Ha!" Sacajawea chuckled, "maybe I should, in case it's toxic or something. Who knows—maybe I'll have the most anticlimactic death despite my status!"  
"I swear, if you gasp and pretend to keel over only to get back up and say 'just kidding', I'll break your arm." Korra elbowed her.

"Damn girl… you're savvy." Saki laughed, "but if it's any consolation, there was a kid in the games who tried cooking and eating tracker-jackers once."  
"Oh gosh," Korra shook her head, imagining a gruesome death and liquefied innards, "how did that go?"

"Well, he cooked 'em," Saki explained, "and it turns out they were just fine. He and his buddies hallucinated a bit, but he later went and won the games. Dezna Meraxa, District 6—older fellow."

"How do you know all of this?" Korra was already looking for means to build a fire, "you haven't been out of your district at all, have you?"  
"just once," Saki quipped, "right now. Otherwise—I just did a ton of research. I learned everything I could about the Hunger Games because I knew I'd be here. Don't get me wrong—I still hate the games, but there's some rich and interesting history there. Panem is full of resilient folks. Don't put it past them to try new tricks if it can get them what they want or need."

"…or what they want." Korra cracked her knuckles, having gotten a fire going. She borrowed Saki's sword and started lopping off pieces of some of the bear-mutts in preparation to cook them. Her mind was still racing with questions of all sorts: Where were Victor and the others? What was this arena going to be like? What was District 12 up to behind the scenes? She might not have come to the Capitol thinking about much other than the games, but by day 3, she knew that there was something far greater going on—and she was determined to get to the root of it.


	17. Chapter 17: A Day of Discovery

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: _Korra has so far presented herself to me as a very interesting but erratic character, and that in turn, has made her difficult to figure out, and in turn, difficult to write. Any particular thoughts on this character would be highly appreciated, as such. Recently, Korra revealed more of her personality to me, and that in turn put me on a writing binge of sorts. More chapters might come out faster as a result of this._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 17: A Day of Discovery**

Korra and Saki ate bear-mutt-meat that night. Saki tried it, although did not react adversely, even in jest.  
"Since someone would complain," Saki teased.

"I'm already adverse to the notion of you getting killed, Saki!" Korra reasoned, "I—"

"I'm Korra Francisco!" Saki put on a mock-imitation of Korra, "I hate having fun!"

"Oh, stuff it!" Korra elbowed Saki before realizing that that was her injured arm. Saki's cry of pain was a harsh reminder.

"I'm sorry!" Korra exclaimed, "I didn't mean to—

"Relax, kid," Sacajawea chuckled, "you're so uptight."  
"We're in a death arena, in case you didn't realize," Korra reminded her, "I kind of need to take this seriously if my friend is going to die and if I hope to come out alive…"

"that doesn't mean we can't smile a couple times though," Saki chuckled, squeezing Korra's shoulders, "you're so tense. Just relax. Take a leaf out of Chel's book—or Marcus'."

"Chel and Marcus were goofballs," Korra admitted, "but they were also strong."  
Sacajawea paused, a bite of meat still in her mouth. "Korra… are you… okay?"  
"I'm fine!" Korra explained, "a little tense from the whole berserker incident, but—"

Once again, Saki cut her off. "you… are you suffering from an insecurity?"  
"NO!" Korra snapped, before pausing. "y-yes…" she suddenly lowered her head, looking horribly embarrassed. Why had she just admitted a self-doubt to a girl from District 12 of all places?!

"Look at the other District 2 tributes in the last couple of years," she began, "even Chaco scored well and placed well, but then you've got Marcus who scored perfectly and took 3rd, Chel who scored perfectly and took 2nd, Amy who scored perfectly and won, my partner Victor who scored perfectly, and my friend and ally who scored perfectly."  
"Korra," Saki sighed, "this isn't about training scores, is it?"  
"That's just part of it," Korra admitted, "but also… remembering how they fought—the things they did. I guess I just kind of feel… inferior. Here they did all these great things, and I'm just fighting bears."

"Just fighting bears!?" Saki gawked, "Korra, that was incredible! I've never seen a tribute go so ballistic like that before!"

"I was just defending you," Korra shrugged, "it's…"  
"Come on," Saki quipped, "you don't come off as the humble type."  
"That's not really humility, is it?" Korra raised an eyebrow, "I was just…"  
Korra sighed. "I don't even know anymore. Saki, I'm confused. I'm very confused…"

"About what?" Saki tilted her head, "these are the Hunger Games, Korra. You volunteered, you come to a death arena and kill people. What's not to know?"  
"It's just…" Korra paused, "they're not the enemies here… the Capitol is forcing you to die here… you don't get to try and win. That's not fair! It's cheating!"  
"The Capitol cheats like that," Saki encouraged, keeping a straight face, "But remember—this is a means to an end. Garrett, Alayna, Victor, Vivian, Cobalt… even Jeremy, Sheaf, and Laura… they're all just obstacles to be conquered—even me as well. You can win this, you know…"  
"Well of course," Korra chuckled, "I'm Korra Francisco. It's just…"  
"Don't falter now, Korra." Saki ruffled the shorter girl's hair, "come on… let's eat."  
The arena grew quiet that night, and surprisingly, there was nothing else that came and tried to kill Saki. The District 12 girl deduced that perhaps the Gamemakers were keeping it limited to one attack per day. She could live with that, as long as Korra did not mind rude awakenings.

But a rude awakening never came. What did come, however, was more green, and more humidity. It was still far from a rainforest, but the scant patches of grass had gotten larger, and the air was not as scathingly dry as it had been during the first day.

"I wonder if it'll get so humid by the end that we suffocate?" Korra quipped as she yawned and sat up. "Think that's possible, Saki?  
"Good morning to you too, lazybones," Saki teased, "good hell girl; you've got some glorious bedhead."  
"Rockhead," Korra mumbled, "we slept on rocks, not a bed."  
"That's what we sleep on in District 12," Sacajawea quipped with a completely straight face, "what are these beds that you speak of?"

"Are… are you…" she began, but Saki's grin broke out.

"You're gullible!" Saki exclaimed, "Korra,, you should have seen your face!"

"I am NOT gullible!" Korra snapped, pouting, realizing that she had fallen for such an obvious joke, which in turn meant that she was indeed gullible. What she didn't also realize was that the very notion that she eagerly volunteered for the games was also a sign of this gullibility, and that that was what Saki was hoping to break.  
"Korra," Saki began, but then froze. "don't move. There's someone watching us."  
She pulled out her bow and immediately aimed an arrow in a seemingly arbitrary direction. "SHOW YOURSELF!" she commanded, "or you're about to get an arrow in the teeth!"

A small boy popped his head out from a rock, before instantly raising his hands. Korra and Saki glanced at him, before noticing the number 3 on his shoulders, which clarified his identity.

"Koshu," the boy introduced himself, "I couldn't help but notice you two back in the training center. I'm not sure the others liked me much, but I'd be honored if I could lend my skills to yours."  
"I see no reason why not," Korra shrugged, "although who does that leave as enemies; Anna, Zhao, and District 6? Or are we turning on someone sooner rather than later?"  
"Well, there's always the mutts or the fireballs," Saki quipped, "but I see no reason not to let him join us for the time being. Is there anything you can tell us about the arena, kid?"  
"There's a water source not far east of here," he suggested.

"been there," Korra indicated, remembering the jokes she and Saki had made about the forcefield and Saki getting electrocuted.

"There are also some huge cliffs near the western rim that have plenty of food and water nearby," Koshu responded without skipping a beat. "There were these black bird things flying in the distance, but I'm not sure what they were."

"Please," Saki chortled, "I'm an archer. If it moves, I can shoot it." She brandished her quiver, which had quite a number of arrows in it. "Now if only I had learned Zefira's tricks…"  
"Zefira?" Koshu and Korra tilted their heads.

"She was a kid a few decades ago who used grenades and smokebombs in the arena to great effect," Saki explained, "a few kids have tried imitating her since then, but none have been as brilliantly successful as her except a kid from District 3 a decade ago, and a kid from District 11 a few years ago. There's no need to worry about it."  
In truth, Zefira's techniques were a subject of great interest in District 12, especially recently. That level of subterfuge could be exactly what a rebellion could need to overcome the Peacekeeper forces there, or so Saki theorized. She was not about to mention any of that to the others though—she knew that that was probably one of the reasons she was chosen to be "eliminated".

"Westward ho," Korra ordered, curious about these cliffs and the food source. "did you see any other tributes along the way, Koshu?"  
"I didn't," Koshu shrugged, "my own partner hasn't even shown up, but I don't think she was too happy with you lot. I was willing to give y'all a second chance, at least this early in the games."  
by the time they had nearly reached the cliffs that Koshu spoke of, they had not learned much about the arena other than that despite some of the dry grass, it was fairly featureless this way except for a few seemingly randomly placed boulders. When they were nearly to the cliffs, a cannon went off, causing them all to briefly freeze.

"Any guesses?" Korra quipped, and the other two tilted their heads slightly.

"Come on…" Korra shrugged, "you guys don't even guess which tribute just bit the dust?"  
"It's something I'd rather not think about," Koshu admitted, "not trying to preach morals or anything in a game where the object is not to get killed… it's just not something I did."  
"Oh." Korra felt awkward now. "Saki?" she hoped her friend could ease some of the awkward tension.  
"I think it was probably the career pack that made the kill," she suggested, "but…" they paused, as they found themselves looking over a vast canyon, although it was fairly narrow—only about 80 feet wide or so. There seemed to be activity on the other side of the ridge as well, and so perhaps there was a way across. Korra would remember this place.

"There's a bunch of wild game out here too," Koshu indicated, "easy to catch things… and the bushes are edible. Otherwise… make yourselves comfortable. The others will find this place sooner or later.

Korra took those words to heart, but Sacajawea couldn't help but worry. The day was nearing an end and there had been no traps, hazards, or mutts to come for her. had the Gamemakers gone soft on day 4, or were they preparing for something even more dastardly than the last trap?


	18. Chapter 18: A Face to Look To

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Any doubts about Sacajawea Kwan being a rebel are put to rest here. We also get a little insight on just what she's trying to do, and why her mentors were saying something about the 93rd Hunger Games being more than just games. There's a whole scheme afoot that gets touched on here._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 18: A Face to Look To**

The anthem played that night to reveal the name of the victim who had died earlier that day. Koshu frowned when he saw the name, but did not seem too upset the way Korra might have been if Victor had died at this point.

_Argenta Lao, District 3…_

"She didn't think my idea of going to look for you guys was a good idea," Koshu shrugged, gazing up at the stars as he rested on the ground with his head in his hands, "so we parted ways, and I guess that's the last time we'll ever see each other. Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games, and May the odds be ever in your favor…"

Korra shrugged. It was hard to argue with that. Koshu took a risk and won; Argenta had taken a risk and lost. That was just the name of the game. She and Koshu dozed off fairly quickly, but Saki remained awake slightly longer, wondering if she was going to get ambushed again. If she was going to die, she was going to die by the hands of another tribute rather than the hands of the Capitol or the Gamemakers. She had to be on her guard.

Eventually, however, she dozed off too, and when she woke in the morning, she found that limbs were all still intact, and that Korra and Koshu were nearby, a little fire going.

"you're right about the arena," Korra pointed out, "it's getting less arid by the day."  
"Hopefully you're wrong then," she chuckled, "I would hate for it to become a suffocating rainforest by Day 10 or something."

Nothing else happened for most of the day, except for Korra receiving a sponsor gift—a long package that was clearly a weapon. Korra's eyes lit up and in that moment, she looked like her birthday had just come three weeks early.  
Out of the package emerged another jagged sword identical to the one she had found at the cornucopia. The note that came with it also made her smile.

"_Be the berserker you always wanted to be." ~A~_

It brought relief to Korra to know that Amy was still watching out for her, despite her sassy talk towards the tiny girl during the pre-game events and train ride. She would definitely remember this favor if she ever escaped the arena.

Day 4 had not seen a single attack on Sacajawea Kwan in the arena, and so now that Day 5 was upon them proper, Saki started to worry. Korra noticed it and asked her about it, particularly waiting until Koshu was out of hearing range. It would be hard to explain to him.

"They haven't tried killing me again yet, Korra" she whispered, "and it's not like the Capitol to give up like that. They're planning something; I'm sure of it."

"I've got my swords," Korra smirked, patting her hips where her swords rested, "and you've got your bow. Koshu has his knives, I think, and so we should be set. If he dies… well, it's like you said yesterday, right? Another obstacle removed…"

But instead of being met with monsters or traps, Korra, Saki, and Koshu were met by the other three careers: Cobalt, Vivian, and Victor, who laughed and spread their arms out as if greeting old friends.

"Hey, hey!" Victor laughed, "how are you holding up down here?"

"Take a guess," Korra quipped, brandishing her twin swords.

"Last time I saw you, you only had one of those," Victor quipped, "how are you doing?"

"Other than the fireballs and then a pack of bear-mutts, we're holding out pretty fine," Korra shrugged, "how have you all been?"  
Saki shuddered at their response. She had told Korra why the arena hazards would follow her around, but she had not told the others.  
"Well, other than offing a District 3 girl, we had nothing—oh hey, is that her partner?" Vivian blushed a bit. "Cobalt did it, by the way."

"I guess that's what she gets for not trusting you the way I do." Koshu indicated, "if you want to help me take down '5 or '6 before turning on me, I'm in."

"Well, there are four of us—5 if you count Saki—and 1 of you…" Cobalt quipped, but he had hardly finished before Koshu deftly drew a pair of blades.

"And I'm faster than all of you." He responded. "you want my help or not?"  
"Guys, guys," Korra put her hands up, "are we really going to beat each other up on day 5 over something so petty? Koshu, this affected you the most—how do you feel about it?"

"I already said," Koshu shrugged, "there can only be one survivor, and if Argenta wasn't willing to trust me, then I guess this was just a matter of inevitability. I, on the other hand, sought these two out." He pointed at the two girls from '12 and '2, "and they trust me too. If you three are willing to trust me, then I'm happy to fight at your sides. It's not like I've got any other alliances, eh, Saki?"  
Saki blushed slightly at the notion. She felt like Koshu knew that she was playing two sides, being with the career pack, but also Jeremy and District 11.

"Anyone else have a problem with him?" Korra raised her arms, "speak now or forever hold your peace. I will not put up with dissention when there are still 7 other tributes running around."

Vivian and Victor nodded in agreement, and Cobalt did the same, only slighter.

"Glad that's over with," Korra swept her hands through the air as she put them back at her sides, "now let's make camp, and keep the tension to a minimum, shall we?"  
Saki's eyes widened as she watched Korra diffuse the situation. Underneath that brash exterior there was a born leader—moreso than the charismatic Amy Zavala the year before even.

"I think we've found our Mockingjay…" she muttered, still staring in shock. Much to her chagrin and embarrassment, Korra heard her.

"what?" she tilted her head, "what's a Mockingjay, besides the birds flying overhead?"

"N-nothing…" Saki stammered, but as the other three careers got to work, Korra glared right at Saki, as if indicating she was not going to let this question go.

"_Damn your stubbornness, Korra…"_ Saki thought in her mind, _"and my big fat mouth."_

"I'll tell you later." She whispered, before moving to help the others set up camp. Koshu, who had been watching, mentally noted to listen in more often. District 3 was right up there with 8, 11, and 12 in terms of rebelliousness, and he knew exactly what a Mockingjay was for, or was about.

Once everything was put into place, Korra and Victor volunteered to go and scout out the area, which was a lot different at night. Korra liked the idea, because it would give her and her district partner a chance to talk and see where the two of them stood on this whole Hunger Games thing.

"So… you and Saki…" Victor teased as they walked around the various rock formations and large boulders, some of which were now covered with grass.

"Would us making out shut you up about it all?" Korra groaned loudly.

"No, it'd make me laugh," Victor guffawed, "I was just wondering your relationship with her."  
"she's my friend," Korra was adamant about that, "and she gives me a challenge. She thinks that the arena traps are following her—first the fireballs, and then the bears. If she's right, I kind of want to see how well I can handle myself."  
"That won't be any fun if you're dead," Victor quipped,  
"The Gamemakers wouldn't purposely kill someone like that, would they? Well… unless Saki's a cannibal or something…" Korra chuckled, even though she knew better. Snow was certainly at work against Sacajawea Kwan.

"She's just got me asking questions is all," Victor shrugged, "same with that District 3 kid."  
"What happened with Argenta, by the way?" Korra asked about the boy's partner.

"She tried ambushing us." Victor shrugged, "nearly slashed Vivian's arm open from shoulder to elbow, but she avoided it by a thread, and then Cobalt killed her. It's just business, really."  
"Fair enough," Korra nodded, "at least you all didn't get chased by giant bear mutts. On the other hand though, they weren't half bad."  
"How is a mutt not half bad?" Victor tilted his head. "did you…"  
"We ate some of them, yes." Korra chuckled, "I could have used some of the old District 2 special on it, but unless someone sponsors me some in the arena, I'll have to do without."  
"Ah," Victor nodded as they made their way back to camp a few minutes later, "You really just can't beat the good old red and green."

When they got back to camp it was fairly quiet, with dying embers dimly illuminating the surrounding area as the anthem played, revealing no new faces that day.

The career pack dozed off for the most part, except for Vivian, who lazily glanced across the ridge. She sprung up, seeing a tiny pair of red lights in the distance.

"Wake up." she warned the others, "and draw your weapons. There's something over there—and it's coming this way."  
No sooner had she said that, when several more pairs of red eyes appeared against the moonlight—before several large, dark creatures spread their wings and started soaring across the ridge right towards their group.


	19. Chapter 19: A Painful Surprise

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The 93rd Hunger Games provide an interesting twist to an old formula. A lot of things are happening at once, both in the arena and out of it, and the Capitol is not the only one pulling strings. Korra Francisco is a valuable prize that both sides are after for one reason or another, and so only time will tell who will finally win her over._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 19: A Painful Surprise**

The red-eyed creatures drew closer.

"Are those… birds?" Saki groaned as she got to her feet.

"No." Korra exclaimed, squinting her eyes. "They're a tribute's worst nightmare—with wings."

No one else had time to react before one of the creatures nearly tackled Cobalt to the ground. He dove out of the way, and it wrapped back around, swooping down towards them. Saki shot an arrow at one of them and managed to knock it to the ground for a moment. In the dimness of the light and without it moving so much, they identified it—a red-eyed humanoid creature with dark, feathered wings—a humanoid mutation, it seemed, except this was far worse than any of the others that tributes had seen in recent years. Apart from being modeled after tributes in this very arena, these ones could obviously fly—and could fly well.

"Night Witches with wings?" Vivian scoffed, "you're fucking kidding me!"

"Hold your ground!" Korra ordered, "we can take them. Just don't let them get your face—that is what they'll go for first."

"Got it," the others nodded as Victor spoke up. "Saki—you're the archer—shoot them down!"  
"And what about you lot?" Saki asked as she shot a few of the monsters."  
"I've got a plan," Korra grunted, shaking her shoulders as if to pump herself up.

"Don't try this at home, kids." she took a deep breath before drawing her swords. She threw one of her swords into the air, calculating the trajectory of the weapon with the velocity of one of the approaching monsters. The sword spun through the air and hit the monster in the head—with the hilt.

"Nice going," Cobalt rolled his eyes, but the creature staggered in the air, losing enough altitude for Korra to not only deftly catch her first sword and promptly plunge her second sword into the creature's skull. Its eyes darkened and it fell lifeless. Another one swooped in towards Cobalt, but a knife to its throat stopped it in its tracks. He turned and saw Koshu smirking.

"Didn't you realize what our marquee in the chariot parade said?" he smirked, "support District 3. It'll take you farther than you think."

Koshu and Korra's action prompted Cobalt, Victor, and Vivian to jump in on the action. Korra was all over the place with her swords, which she threw to great effect. She did in fact hit the monsters with the hilts of her swords about half the time, but the blunt trauma knocked them down or made them dizzy enough for her or one of the others to come in for the kill. Korra was not sure if the others noticed, but the monsters seemed to be trying primarily to get to Saki, or to anyone who stood between them and her. She was not about to let that happen though, and so she continued her relentless assault, cutting down each creature as it came at them. Saki did well at shooting some down with her arrows as well, and Koshu's knife-throwing abilities were better than any of them expected them to be.

No one but Korra and Koshu noticed that the monsters seemed to be trying to primarily target Saki. For Cobalt, Vivian, and Victor, this did not matter, as it allowed them to come up from behind and attack. At least a dozen of these creatures were dead at this point, but another dozen remained—which made sense when they thought about it—24 tributes, 24 monsters. The Capitol had certainly stepped up their game from '91 and '92.

One of the creatures swooped down and struck Saki, slamming her onto the ground on her back. She felt another thud as if another one had jumped right on top of the first one, but as she glanced up, the creature's eyes were wide, and blood oozed from its mouth. A pair of jagged swords stuck out of its back and wings, before being promptly ripped out by their owner.

"Can't be letting these bastards getcha now, huh?" Korra chortled, "on your feet, '12. We've got a fight to win and a slew of monsters to murder."  
"On it," Saki grunted as Korra seized her hand and pulled her to her feet, "good to know these Night Witches will be out of the way early on…"

It almost seemed like the creatures heard what she had said though, for a moment later they surviving 8 or so of them spread their wings and dove off into the gorge, flying away and out of reach. By the time Saki had grabbed her bow from where it had been knocked from her hand, the creatures were gone.

"Well…" Vivian heaved a sigh of relief, "that was… certainly something."  
"Nothing we couldn't handle, really," Korra shrugged, "we did great. Let's move camp a bit so we don't have to deal with these corpses. Something tells me they wouldn't be edible like the bear mutts were."  
Saki got a chuckle out of this, knowing what Korra was referring to, but within a few minutes the careers had relocated their camp away from the mutt corpses, and were resting as they gazed up at the moon and stars. Night Witches indeed.

"So ends day 5…" Saki sighed, putting her head over top her arms as she kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes, "may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock so you don't feel anything as you die."

"I'd rather not die at all," Cobalt disagreed, "but I suppose anyone could say the same."

"well, we've all made it past 5 days of this game." Victor pointed out, "Any guesses on when it will end?"  
"14 days," Koshu quipped, "every game since the 87th has lasted 14 days. I'd offer to make bets on it, but since only one of us is gonna live that long…"  
"I like this kid more than I did 38 seconds ago," Victor quipped, "he's savvy."  
"That could theoretically be a dangerous thing," Koshu quipped, "but danger is the name of the games, and here we are as a gaggle of kids who just fought off a dozen flying monsters. Make of that what you will, I guess."  
"Damn, this kid's really good." Vivian nodded approvingly.

"I told you he was a keeper," Korra quipped, "I'm Korra Francisco; I don't make mistakes… more than once, anyways."

"I'm also Korra Francisco, and I hate fun." Saki teased.

"Oh, stuff it, woman!" Korra laughed. "you know as well as I do that that's bullshit."

"I'm not getting involved here." Koshu raised his hands as if surrendering, "you all bicker it out and let me know when you're done. I'll keep watch."

Incidentally, the other careers took Koshu's offer a bit farther and let him keep watch as they slept. This proved to be a mixed bag to a degree, for the next morning, they were woken up by a cannon going off. Jumping up, they noticed a knife sticking out of Cobalt's chest, and Koshu was nowhere to be found.

Korra knew at once that this was going to be a problem. Vivian would react adversely, and Victor might also question Korra and Saki's alliance choices. She turned to Saki as the others grunted and then gasped at the sight. Saki nodded slowly to show she had a plan.

"What was that about Koshu being a keeper again, Korra?" Vivian tilted her head, "Because it looks like we got a little backstabbing sunuvabitch here— almost literally."

"That leaves 7 other tributes to worry about," Saki warned, "besides—how could Korra have known that he'd backstab Cobalt? Let's not let this form a rift between us this early… unless none of you want to make it to the final 8."  
"Not to side with Saki here… but she's right." Korra agreed, "either we can duke it out now and end our alliance, letting whoever survives fall to the whims of Districts 6 or 11, or we can accept that yes, I, Korra Francisco, fucked up, and that the most I can do at this point is be more careful."  
In truth, Korra was glad that Koshu had done that, and frankly hoped to try and get that clever boy at her side again. It was clear that she and Saki were drifting away from Victor and Vivian, and she kind of wanted that alliance to dissolve without actively working to destroy it. On the other hand, she also knew that Jeremy, Sheaf, and Laura would have to be stopped too, and this was made more complicated by not knowing how Saki would react to it.

"Let's split up again then," Victor suggested, "Vivian and I will go this way, and Korra, you can take your girlfriend and head that way."  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Korra snapped, only for Victor to laugh.  
"I know, but your reactions make me laugh every time. Your face goes so red your freckles disappear."  
He chuckled as Korra instinctively put her hands to her cheeks to feel the heat, and now she suddenly wondered if her freckles really did vanish when her face flushed.

"Let's go," Saki suggested as they packed their things, Korra grabbing her swords again, "we're burning daylight, and the games aren't getting any shorter."  
Korra nodded and followed Saki, her mind racing with a slew of new thoughts.


	20. Chapter 20: The Awakening

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This is the 2nd time I've had trouble naming a 20th chapter. Screw you, chapter 20. Anyways, Korra Francisco has more eyes on her than she is aware of. It also helps that she's following Sacajawea Kwan, a girl that the Capitol has had eyes on from the start. The games run deeper than meets the eye._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 20: The Awakening**

The arena was becoming greener with each passing day. 5 days in and it was already getting fairly grassy, almost as if the rocky landscape was just one gigantic chia pet. Korra and Saki elected to head down into the large trench, but they did not get very far before realizing that it was probably not meant to be traversed. They knew the forcefield was on the opposite side of the trench, and knew that odds were the Capitol was not about to let tributes get that far anyways.

"I suppose it's a matter of weighing our options," Korra shrugged, "I think you're more likely to get attacked down here and the Capitol will make it seem like an accident, and I get the feeling that the other tributes are not hiding down here."

"You're the leader," Saki suggested, "I trust your judgment."  
"Wait… now I'm the leader?" Korra tilted her head, "I thought that that was the reason you were here to begin with."  
"It was," Saki nodded, glancing at the large, rocky cliffs around them, which now had the occasional patch of moss or vines growing on them. Maybe it was from being surrounded by so much stone, but Korra felt like the almost step-shaped outcroppings could be climbed with a bit of effort.

"But," Sacajawea continued, if I'm guaranteed to die, I need to make sure that there is at least someone around to continue my work."

"And so you think that I'm a rebellion leader now?" Korra raised an eyebrow, "I think you're talking to the wrong person here, Saki. You're a good friend and all, but…" she paused, glancing at the number 2 on her shoulders.

"No, by all means, do what you will." Saki shrugged, "it's just that whether you like it or not, you're a natural-born leader, Korra. War is no longer a possibility. It is an inevitability. I imagine that you are either going to be a major leader in the rebel factions, or a major reason that they get put down. You utilize people's strengths and cover their weaknesses. If the rebellion has you, they might be able to rally people together and accomplish something. If the Capitol has you… nothing will stand in your way."

"It's not wise to bite the hand that feeds you, Saki." Korra was still not fully against the Capitol—it was not like she could simply through 17 years of a mindset out the window in a single day.

"but what if you could feed yourself," Saki suggested, "what if you didn't need that chain around your neck? I'd back a President Francisco in a heartbeat." She chuckled at this last part.

"Damn… President Francisco has a nice ring to it." Korra chuckled, "but I'm not fit to rule the country. Still… your words have merit, Kwan. I'll think it over."

"That's all I ask." Saki shrugged, and the two of them continued walking at the bottom of the trench, learning that it was taking them slightly northeast, meaning that eventually they were going to find the arena's northern border. The afternoon was fairly quiet, although the trench was getting narrower with no sign of a slope upwards unless they wanted to scale the cliff.

The moment they heard a rumbling they knew there was trouble. Some of the rocks above them dislodged themselves from the walls of the canyon, and Korra knew at once that this was no mere coincidence.

"GET DOWN!" she shouted, tackling Saki to the ground right under a rocky outcropping. They moved close enough to the walls that the rocks came crashing down where they had just stood, rather than where they were sitting now, both of them breathing a little tenser.  
"Well… that was close." Korra sighed in relief, and Saki nodded in agreement.

Incidentally, the eyes of the Gamemakers were also on them right now.

"That's the 5th time they've avoided your traps, Zurok," one of the Gamemakers turned to the Head Gamemaker, "You are still following orders, right?"  
"I do things my own way," Zurok retorted, "Sacajawea Kwan knows the consequences if she survives, and I do not wish to rig the arena against her. I think that she deserves to stay on her toes, but she is a smart girl. Audiences like a clever tribute, and so I give her challenges that, while dangerous and potentially deadly, are not too difficult for her to overcome."

"And what of Francisco?" one of the other Gamemakers piped up.

"I like her," Zurok's lips curled up, "And she seems to be just as smart as Kwan. If they stay on their toes enough to evade our traps… then they deserve to live. It's that simple."

Zurok was a woman who valued intelligence and cunning above raw brute strength and thoughtless force. She designed her arenas to cater not just to the intelligent, but also to those who were sufficiently strong. She did like a healthy balance of both, and she helped ensure that the daily training regimens during the week before the games, helped adjust the tributes accordingly.

"Do you think we should keep moving forward?" Korra asked as the dust settled from the rockslide.

"I don't think we have any other choice," Saki agreed, glancing around and noticing that most of the way back was blocked. "Zurok is trying to either kill me and make it look like an accident, or she's trying to force me to go one way or another. It's not my time to die yet."

Korra glanced around, before looking at Saki. "can you climb?"

"A little," Saki shrugged, "I'm not hurt—I just haven't really scaled rocks very much back home. We dug through rocks, rather than scaled them."

"Well…" Korra chuckled, "If you think you can hold on tight, I think we can make a repeat of what happened in '91, you know. Hold my swords and climb on my back." Korra crouched down, only for Saki to give her a skeptical look.

"Are you serious?" It was awkward because while Korra did seem to have more muscle mass, Sacajawea was taller than her.

"I'm Korra Francisco. I apparently hate fun, and the opposite of fun is serious. So yes, I am. Not get on or I'm climbing this cliff without you."  
"You're seriously… that cliff!?" Saki gazed up at it in slight disbelief.

"One…" Korra counted slowly, "Two…"

Saki shook her head, before putting her arms around Korra's neck and shoulders. With a grunt, Korra stood up before jumping up onto the rocky crag, putting one foot here and one foot there as she started crawling up the wall.

"I just had a thought," Korra quipped as she climbed, "if the Gamemakers trigger another rockslide on us right now, we're pretty much fucked."

"Like I said," Sacajawea reassured her, "I have seen enough of Zurok's antics to have an idea of how she works. She's not the type to kill someone that quickly after her last attempt failed."  
"Well that's a relief…" Korra sighed, grunting as she reached for a particularly high hold, "because we're pretty vulnerable right now. Hopefully there's not some sort of monster waiting for us at the top or anything—because my hand would be the first to go, and we'd be back at the bottom of the canyon a few seconds later, splattered over the rocks."  
"That's not exactly the nicest mental picture to paint for me, Korra," Saki quipped, "but I digress. You are strong—you will make it to the top."

And make it to the top Korra did, with a grunt and a flop onto her stomach, where Saki rolled off of the smaller but burlier girl, sighing as well. Her face met Saki's, and the two chuckled.

"You know, '12… we make a pretty damn good team." Korra smirked.

"And you're only just realizing this?" Saki retorted, "you're denser than I thought…"  
"Hush!" Korra reached her arm out to push Saki playfully, "must you always tear me down?"

"I didn't mean it, Korra, Saki chuckled, reaching over to twirl a few strands of Korra's hair in her fingers, "you just react so… funny."

"Well… to be honest," Korra's face dropped a little, "It makes me uncomfortable. Can you please not?"

"All you had to do was ask," Saki smiled sincerely, "no more taunts—I promise."

"So where do you suppose we are?" Korra's eyebrow raised slightly.

"I guess that this is what the north side of the arena looks like." Saki shrugged, "there's… really not much else to see." All that lay in front of them were some slightly grassy rocks and an otherwise desolate landscape. It did not seem like any other tributes were nearby.

"Well then—hopefully we can rest a few minutes so that I don't die from exhaustion," Korra joked, taking a large swig of water from her pack, "who knew that climbing at least 80 feet with a tribute on your back could drain the energy out of you so swiftly?"  
"Thanks for that, by the way," Saki smiled.

"No problem," Korra shrugged, "just doing—" she froze, and Saki did too, both of their eyes widening.

Another cannon had just gone off.


	21. Chapter 21: The Possibilities

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _and now we get to finally discover whose cannon that was, among other things. Korra and Saki still have a long road ahead of them, but don't let that discourage you. They're cunning and resourceful-but so is their opposition. There's still a bit more games to go._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 21: The Possibilities**

There were still a few more hours until the anthem would play for the 6th time, and so in the meantime, Korra and Saki were not quite sure whether to hang tight or to seek out the murderer. It really kind of depended on who had been slain. The two of them kept wandering through the grassy, rocky landscape, which at this point was starting to resemble ancient, overgrown ruins at this time, even if the rock formations were entirely natural. Water became easy to find, but Saki knew that there would be some sort of trick. The Gamemakers would not let them up so easily.

"You're the leader, Francisco," Saki indicated, "point my sword."  
"But you're using a bow." Korra tilted her head, causing the taller girl to chuckle.

"It's a metaphor, silly." She ruffled her hair, "it means tell me which way to go."  
"Really? I… wouldn't have ever guessed…" Korra admitted.

"you're so dense it's cute." Saki teased, "But let's get moving. If we stick around this edge of the cliff too much longer we'll likely get it to cave in and throw us back to the bottom of that trench again."

The jagged landscape made the arena similar to a large-scale game of hide-n-seek. They cautiously approached corners and rocks, making sure that tributes were not hiding behind them. Oddly enough, the next tribute they ran into was Sheaf from District 11, and his partner a moment later. Saki seemed relieved that they were alive, but Korra felt kind of awkward, especially with the looks they gave her. In fact, their weapons were still drawn even.

"What happened to Jeremy?" Saki asked, knowing that she was sort of the unofficial mediator, and was probably the reason the three other tributes weren't jumping at each other's throats at this point.

"The careers ambushed us, and he ran one way while we ran the other," Laura explained, "they might be still giving chase."  
"I suppose the real question here," Korra was not about to shy away from what she viewed as attempted intimidation, "is what you two intend to do from here? It's not like I'm oblivious to your scathing looks, as if I am somehow responsible for what the others did. Sure, friends and alliances go, but only one tribute survives."

"Are you implying you're cutting ties with '1 and '2?"

Another cannon fired, making Korra's cheeks go pink. "No promises," she warned, "but we either have to diffuse this awkward tension right now, or we need to split up and go our separate ways. The choice is yours, District 11."

Korra made it clear that she was not about to back down, and if anything, her staunchness and stubbornness had them slink away with a quiet truce for the time being. At this point, Korra knew that there were going to be three faces in the sky tonight: Cobalt, and whatever other two tributes had been killed. She feared that one of them might have been Jeremy, but was not sure who the middle one had been for. Maybe District 11 had ambushed the careers and had been lying about who had struck who first. It was not like they had to tell the truth to Korra if they did not want to.

The two girls found a nice place to make camp for the evening, where the anthem proved just who had lived and who had perished.

_Cobalt Efran, District 1…_

"Say what you will about us careers, but Koshu's a bold little shit," Korra insisted, "I hope we can run into him again before someone gets him. He is useful in his way."  
"I'll drink to that," Saki agreed, her arms under her head as she laid on her back and gazed at the holograms in the sky.

_Anna Rosario, District 5…_

"I guess her reign of terror ended before it could really begin," Saki thought back to how the girl had apparently made a swift kill before bounding away using the tops of the rocks. It made them wonder if she knew something about the arena that they did not know—obviously it was too late to ask her now though, and so the mystery died with her.

_Jeremy Pescado, District 12…_

Korra paused and frowned, turning to her friend. "Saki, I…" she began, "I'm sorry."

"For what," Saki shrugged, "the Capitol murdering all of these kids? Yeah. I'm sorry for that too. Think of it this way, Francisco—this is why you have to win. You could very well be what Panem needs in order to put a stop to all of this—for good."

"And what of all of my friends?" Korra asked, "the ones that train their whole lives for this… the ones that make this a life goal? Would you deny them that?"  
Saki opened her mouth to argue, but realized that this was a mentality engrained deep in the minds of District 2 children, and that Korra was no exception. It would not be an easy mold to break, and immediately Saki wondered what would do it. Would the inevitable PTSD that comes from the games do it for her? Sacajawea certainly did not wish such horrors upon Korra, but she did want something that could help break Korra out of that poisonous mindset that the Capitol and her district had drilled into her head all but literally.

"What if we could show them what a childhood was like?" Saki finally spoke after a moment of silence. "What if we could show them what it was like in a world where we did not have to murder other children whose only real crime was getting their name picked out of a glass bowl—or an electric lottery in '5 or '3's case—but the same thing applies? Is random chance really something that we want to be murdering innocent children over?"  
There was a reason Saki was here—she was exactly the kind of charismatic revolutionary that would get people stopping and thinking about what they were doing, and it was dangerous for the Capitol's regime. So, instead of going for her family, knowing that they would probably happily back their cause, Snow and his inner circle went for her, to make an example of her in the arena. Snow had told Saki this personally, and so the District 12 girl knew that there was not even a mystery behind it—the Gamemakers were literally trying to kill her. Fireballs, rockslides, bear mutts, humanoid mutts… it actually reminded Saki of something, but Korra interrupted her thoughts.

"I'd definitely want to keep some kind of competition," she insisted, "but… give me time, Saki. I need more time to think about this. You said yourself that I'm dense—let me process it."  
"Just don't take too long," Saki warned, "the games won't last forever, you know."  
"I know, I know…" Korra trailed off, which allowed Saki to pick up where she left off.  
"You remember those flying Night Witches, right?" she spoke up.

"How could I forget?" Korra chuckled, "I killed a dozen of 'em."

"Well… the rest are still out there, that means," Saki warned, "Something tells me that they haven't exactly flown home or anything yet."  
"Do you think they'll attack tonight?" Korra suggested, reaching for her twin swords.

"Nah," Saki shrugged, "well, maybe. If I say they won't, I'll end up jinxing it and get torn 12 ways by those remaining creatures that will save my entrails for last or something. But otherwise, I think Zurok's pattern is once a day. I can deal with that, and I think she seems to like it too."

She had hardly finished saying this when a parachute bearing a number 2 floated down. Korra was sponsored some fresh food, a little fo which she tossed to Saki.

"Nothing like a nice snack before bed, huh?" she chuckled.

"What's the note say?" Saki wondered if there was any hints of any sort. Korra lazily handed her friend the slip, and Saki read it only to chuckle.

"_Stay on your toes, kid. Sacajawea's path is filled with danger." ~A~_

"What's '2 doing watching me?" Saki wondered aloud.

"Sweetie," Korra retorted, "you might not have noticed it yet, but you're in the Hunger Games. I don't know if they tell you this in District 12, but these games are broadcast all over the country. So really, everyone is watching you, from the Capitol to the heart of District 1, all the way out to the backwater fringes of '11 and '12."

"Whoa!" Saki exclaimed, "Korra Francisco told a joke? What happened to Ms. 'I Hate Fun' now?"

"Stuff it!" Korra punched Saki's arm, even if the two girls were still on their backs gazing at the cloudless sky, "what is it with you and belittling me?"

"Your reactions," Saki admitted, "Not to say I agree with Vivian and Victor and them, but you do kind of react dramatically to trivial things."  
"They're… not trivial to me." Korra frowned, closing her eyes. "Saki… can we talk?"

"Girl," Saki rolled over to smile at Korra, her brown eyes, partially obscured by her lank black hair, gazing right into Korra's shimmering green ones, a few auburn strands blowing across them, "you can tell me anything. The secrets you share with me will die with me in the arena—of that you have my word."

"Alright then," Korra sighed. "let me explain…"


	22. Chapter 22: Tributes on the Prowl

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _with "the 74th Annual Hunger Games" done and out of the way, my focus will return to this fic, which I feel has been delayed too much already. In the meantime, we are one tribute closer to ending the games, and there is a reference which I will not apologize for._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 22: Tributes on the Prowl**

Korra sighed as she glanced at Saki, who was still gazing up at the starry night sky. The fact that this girl had had her odds completely rigged still upset her. She knew that Saki had not been training her whole life for this day the way Korra had, but for some reason, she kept imaging that Saki had, and that she had just been denied the chance at proving herself in the culmination of her life efforts. That was how Korra felt about losing, and that was another reason why she was more determined than ever to crawl out of here alive. If Sacajawea Kwan was not going to return from the arena, Korra would do it for her. She was not sure about this whole rebellion and revolution thing that Saki always talked about, but perhaps she'd see. She had heard horror stories about people who had emerged from the arena, and it had given her doubts.

"Were you going to explain something to me?" Saki repeated, causing Korra to realize that she had fallen silent for a few moments as she wandered into thought.

"Oh, right," Korra stammered, "It's just…" she took a deep breath, and sighed. "I've never been very good at this whole emotion thing. I've been raised all my life to view them as a sign of weakness. I'm not supposed to be cute. I'm supposed to be strong."  
"Korra, sweetie…" Saki frowned, "that's not how it is at all. Strength isn't about being a stoic, emotionless brick wall to deflect anything and everything from getting near you. Strength comes from willpower—the drive to succeed, and then actually succeeding. It's one thing to be skilled and to be strong, Korra—but there's more to it."

"But that's what makes me feel weak," Korra admitted, "I'm insecure. I don't know why, and I feel like a total idiot because of it, but I just can't wrap my mind around some of the things you have told me, or that you say and do."  
"Like what?" Obviously Saki didn't plan on letting Korra get out of this the easy way.

"Well… I am still trying to comprehend your fate in these games," she explained, "but also the notion that you were chosen instead of volunteering. Not that I was sheltered or anything… I just kind of closed myself off from anything that wasn't HUNGER GAMES! KILL PEOPLE! GLORY FOR YOUR DISTRICT! CAREER TRIBUTES!" she imitated some lofty, high-n-mighty tone for this part, but otherwise shrugged, blowing a few long bangs out of her face.

"Well… do you change your opinions as new information is acquired?" Saki turned to her. Korra gave pause at that thought, pondering it for a moment. Did she do that, or did she just try and stubbornly stick to her guns, so to speak? She felt like she did a little bit of both. Saki's stories were getting to her, but she was still proud and vigilant as ever.

"I think so," Korra hoped, "I try to do that without losing myself in the process…"

"then you should do fine," Saki reassured her, "get some sleep, Korra. We're going to have to move out in the morning. There's no telling what nefarious scheme Zurok has in store for me."

"We can handle it," Korra smirked, "it'll take more than fireballs and mutts to do us in."  
"And here I thought that I'd have to look elsewhere for sympathy," she chuckled, causing Korra to smile.

"What, you thought I had no soul just because I'm emotionally retarded?" Korra quipped, "I'm not as stupid as I look, you know—just confused more often than I'm proud of admitting.

"Really," Saki noted, "that is one of the biggest problems I have about these games. Obviously I'd rather they not happen at all, but they take these children… boys and girls in the most emotionally vulnerable time of their lives, and then they destroy them. My so-called rebellion was never about me—it was about the people of the 'games—the boys and girls that suffer and die here, and even the victors as well—the survivors."

Those words made Korra think. Was she going to even be a victor at all, or just a survivor? She didn't want Saki to die. Heck, she didn't even want Victor to die either, but when she considered the remaining tributes, the only one that she felt like she might have trouble killing would be Sacajawea unless it was a mercy kill. She was tough and she knew it.

"well… goodnight, Saki." Korra abruptly ended the conversation, closing her eyes and rolling over. On the other hand, Saki smirked, knowing that she as getting through to this girl…

Day 7 kicked off slightly more humid than the day before, and with slightly more green. The pattern here was completely recognizable, and immediately, Korra and Saki went back on the prowl.

They were not the only ones, however. Victor and Vivian, who formed the remnants of the career pack in Korra's absence and Cobalt's death, decided to do a little hunting of their own.

"Y'know," Vivian piped up, "this bit of brush right here looks like it's on some sort of continental divide."  
"What makes you say that," Victor raised an eyebrow, although, also being from a district familiar with rock formations, he had a shrewd idea of what the young District 1 girl might have been referring to.

"well, it's an outcropping," she pointed to a swathe of rock about 2 feet wide that jutted out at an unusual length compared to the rocks and grass around them.

"Hopefully they rip the arena open and take out that District 3 boy and those traitors." Victor scowled. "I liked Korra, but I don't trust her after that whole debacle with that boy."

"Welcome to the Hunger Games, sweetie. Vivian shrugged, "Eventually you'll have to turn on her—and me. Why do you think I stay fairly distant?"  
"Well how do you feel about all of this?" he raised his eyebrow at her.

"It's a game," she shrugged, "we volunteered for it, and Korra did too. I'm a bit miffed about Cobalt, but I suppose it's just saving me heartache in the future."

"Is that why you're so lax about everything that's happened so far?"  
"Pretty much," Vivian shrugged again, "getting pissed about the games is just going to make me lose my groove, and that's not what I want to happen at all. One thing I do want to do though, is show District 11 some of my skillz with a Z, if I can't get my hands on '3."

"Don't you mean your axes into '3?" Victor elbowed her, causing her to giggle.

"Right," she accepted the correction. "It's kind of personal, but either way, anyone I kill is just something I'm doing for business. I've got a life back home that I want to obtain. Why else would I volunteer?"

"Fair enough," Victor chuckled. The day wore on with very little happening in terms of tributes meeting each other, but later in the afternoon, the two careers found themselves ambushed by the District 11 pair, looking as ominous as ever. The scary part about them was that their weapons seemed to glow as if they had been in a fire for a while.

"Run!" Vivian shouted, "stall for time—make those weapons cool off!"  
Sheaf and Laura obviously heard it, and the tactic made sense, but they still gave chase. The rocky terrain was trickier to navigate now with some of the grass and moss on the rocks, but it was still traversable for the nimble career tributes and the barefooted District 11 pair. As Victor and Vivian tried to put distance between themselves and Sheaf and Laura, Sheaf threw his axe with vicious enough force that Vivian actually heard it whiz through the air. As she spun around in an attempt to block it, it instead severed her arm so swiftly that the heat from the white-hot weapon actually cauterized the wound instantly, and so while Vivian's right arm just above the elbow was now detached from her body, the pain was numbed because the nerves had all been burned.

"You little FUCKER." She roared, right as Sheaf lunged for her. He knocked her over, but not before she grabbed her axe and put it through his back with her remaining arm. A cannon fired immediately, as the remaining heat from the weapon severed his central nerve along his spine, instantly killing him. Once Laura noticed that her partner had just been killed and that Vivian was getting back to her feet, she stopped battling Victor and fled, knowing that if she could gain on them that she could also lose them—which was exactly what she did.

"You can't run forever, 11!" Victor roared, turning to see how Vivian was handling her debilitating injury. She seemed oddly tranquil about it, to his surprise.  
"How are you okay after getting your arm lopped off!?" he gawked.

"'Tis but a flesh wound," she shrugged, "it cauterized instantly, so I'm not bleeding, but obviously my life sucks a bit more now that I only have one arm—and I'm not left-handed."

"well… hopefully Korra and Saki haven't betrayed us just yet then." Victor suggested, "because I want to know where '11 got the fire from…"

Neither one of them had smelled any smoke; and the fiery weapons had been hot upon their arrival, which meant that they had been heated not too long ago. It would be another mystery of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games that the tributes would have to unravel themselves.


	23. Chapter 23: Knowing the Game

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Vivian sort of unintentionally became a badass, and it seems that she's not about to just lie down and die or anything either. She knows much more than she lets on, as she demonstrates a bit in this chapter. There's less conflict, but more buildup._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 23: Knowing the Game**

Korra and Saki had both frozen when the cannon had gone off, and wondered who it had belonged to. There were now only 9 tributes left, which meant that the Gamemakers would get more ruthless against Saki to prevent her from winning, or so she feared. During the day, the two girls had scoped out most of the arena. They had found the same jagged outcropping of rock that Victor and Vivian had discovered, except in a different part of the arena, as if this 'continental divide' bisected the arena or something. However, they knew that they were too far to the east for it to properly divide the arena in half, and so the short-lived theory was dismissed.

Other interesting features they ran into were a few rivers that seemed much lusher than before, and the steep clifflike canyon on the northwestern fringe was occupied with a sort of hazy fog.

"It looks like an inversion," Korra suggested.

"A what now?" Sacajawea was not familiar with the term at all.

"It's where cold air gets trapped under warmer air," Korra explained, "it happens in some of the canyons and valleys back home, usually in the winter or the spring. In other words, I bet it's a whole lot colder down there, unless the Gamemakers are building a trap."  
"Well, I'm not that stupid," Saki laughed, "I'm not going down there."

Otherwise, it was evening before anything else happened to the two girls. There was a sound from behind some rocks, which caused them both to spring up.

"Show yourselves or die!" Korra threatened, drawing her jagged swords.

Three hands emerged from behind the rocks, revealing their owners to be Vivian and Victor. Naturally, the first thing either of them noticed was Vivian's severed right arm.

"Meh, it's a scratch," she explained after the expected barrage of surprised questions, "that guy from '11 hit me with a flaming axe… cut it right off." It still smelled slightly of burned flesh.

"Was that the cannon that went off?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"Hell yeah," Vivian smirked, "used my good arm and stabbed him in the back with his own axe. We'll be seeing his face in the sky tonight, make no mistake about it."

Sure enough, later that evening as the anthem played, Vivian's victim appeared in the sky, which caused the District 1 girl to smirk slightly.

_Sheaf Twallan, District 11…_

"Vivian's right arm… District 1…" she chortled.

"you know…" Saki piped up, "for someone whose whole arm is missing, you're taking it pretty well."  
"And I'm about to be taking it even better…" she sat up as a parachute with a number 1 floated towards her. Catching it with her left hand, she put the canister between her knees and unscrewed the top to reveal a sort of ointment.  
"Hopefully this will stave off infection," she half-shrugged, scooping up some of the substance and rubbing it cautiously to the burnt, injured stump of her other arm. "and hell… I hope I can still fight up to snuff. That was my dominant hand."  
"We've got your back," Korra promised, "I'm no traitor, and you know it."

"I had my doubts for a while," she retorted, "but I'm glad to know that those were put to rest. Now if only I could get my hands on that district 3 kid…"

"Come on, what's wrong with Koshu?" Korra began, before pausing, "well… other than killing Cobalt, at least… or did I just answer my question?"  
"Actually, it's not even that." Vivian admitted, "I mean, it kind of was for a moment, but my outlook has changed on the games in the last few days."

"so you've pulled a Chel and don't care about winning?" Victor raised an eyebrow,

"Nah…" Vivian shrugged, "I'm still in it to win it, so I hate to say that I won't be sacrificing myself for anyone here or anything… but there's a point to be had. We all die eventually. Some just die sooner than others. There's no point in living my life in fear of all that crap. I'll die when I'm ready, and in the meantime, I'll just put on my big girl panties and deal with doing things one-handed. It's harder than it seems, but seriously—what good will complaining do? Sponsors aren't going to gift things to a crybaby. They want someone tough and promising—someone that can possibly win them their bets."

Korra processed these thoughts and realized that Vivian was actually fairly intellectual, as opposed to her partner who had seemed much more like the standard-fare gung-ho career. Perhaps the whole betting and gambling ring that went on surrounding the Hunger Games was part of why the Capitol saw them as games to begin with. Korra was beginning to see them as something far more sadistic, but she could also detect a game going on around her—she felt that this one, however, had more to do with Districts 2 and 12, rather than simply everyone secretly playing a game without telling Korra Francisco what was going on.

"I hope you don't mind a challenge then," Victor chuckled, "because Victor the Victor is still a thing that needs to happen, you know."  
"oh, so now it's personal?" Vivian teased, "should I start running now?"

"Far from it," Victor admitted, "death in the 'games is just business. We're here for ourselves, and others are just obstacles in the road. It's not like I'm trying to get vengeance on anyone in particular—well, except maybe Laura for ambushing us."

"Her time will come," Vivian chuckled, patting Victor's head, "There's no point in trying to turn into an angry hate-powered kill-machine over it, unless that's like the secret of your fighting prowess. Korra seems to do pretty well as a berserker."

"Is everyone in District 1 that chipper?" Saki couldn't help but interrupt, knowing that the careers around her were joking around.

"Ha," Vivian laughed, "no. I'm not chipper; I'm just calm and morbidly optimistic or something. I'm missing an arm and there are still 8 other kids I need to kill or outsmart before I go home. My odds are slim, but if you think I'm about to just throw in the towel, by all means, feel free to think that while I knife you or something."

"If only all careers could be as cool as you lot," Saki sighed, thinking about how much better life would be if they were all so calm and lax around each other, and not trying to end each other's lives. District 1 and District 2 were not "the enemy". That was a position that belonged to the Capitol. Korra was proof that District 2 was not all full of bad people, and Vivian proved that even people from District 1 could be amiable towards others from 'lesser' districts.

"What can I say," Vivian stretched out, laying on her back but still gently applying ointment to the burned stump that had once been her arm, "we can't all be oblivious ditzes or gung-ho warriors. It's just like District 3 isn't all full of geeky kids or that all of District 4 looks good naked."  
"Whoa now," Korra raised an eyebrow, "you seem awfully Hunger Games-savvy, Vivian."

"I am," she chuckled, "You can do more research on the games than just the games themselves. The particularly shrewd among us can even spot different behavioral patterns coming from the districts. What—did you think that the recaps only showed the kills?"

It was once again another thing that got Korra thinking deeply about the games and about Panem as a whole. If Vivian could deduct that much about the tributes and districts just by watching their behaviors in past games, perhaps Saki had a point—but it made Korra want to ask another question.

"So what's the stereotype of District 12?" she blurted out.

"Saki," Vivian replied almost instantly, "messy dark skin and hair, quiet and cunning, and of course that proud, rebellious streak in them. So yeah, pretty much Saki."

The others glanced at Saki, who merely shrugged.

"I'm not really that good at keeping secrets," she lied, "you all just figured me out."

Korra snorted, which caused the others to laugh. "I guess we can keep watch if we feel endangered," she suggested, "but I don't think that Koshu is coming this way any time soon."  
"He did catch us off guard last time…" Vivian reminded them, "but then again, that was because we let him right into our camp."

"I think we should split up again tomorrow to hunt the others," Victor suggested. "with Saki here and Sheaf and Jeremy dead, I'm pretty sure we've got the largest remaining alliance going on. Two and two against say, District 6, or District 11? Saki could even go turncoat on us and we'd still be fine."

"I'm game," Saki shrugged, "did you want me to go with my girlfriend again so you could go with yours?"  
"You know that the only person getting flustered by those words as Korra, right?" Vivian teased, and sure enough, she was right. Korra's face was beaming red. Either way, they all drifted off to sleep and had few or no complications with remaining so through the night.

Morning came soon and swiftly, and as the 8th day dawned, the four tributes split up. Only five others could stand against them, and with strength on their side, their confidence levels were high.


	24. Chapter 24: The Masterminds

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Like all of my OC fics, the 24th chapter takes a reak from the main characters to get a look around at some of the other tributes and a couple of the mentors. Otherwise, despite there being this many tributes left, the games are starting to wrap themselves up, so stay close. It will not take too long._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 24: The Masterminds**

More eyes shifted towards Vivian Nelson after her injury. Not that her performance had been lackluster before considering that three tributes had died by her hand and that she had survived into the final 9, but the fact that she had just gotten her arm removed was becoming the talk of the games. Plenty of other eyes still lingered upon Korra Francisco, Victor Caruso, or Sacajawea Kwan though, because all three of them were similarly promising.

Even the mentors were getting in on this betting and observing the tributes. Korra's theory that there was a game going on between them did in fact hold some water, particularly where Districts 2 and 12 were concerned. Amy Zavala and Aveline Togisala were keeping close eyes on Saki and Korra.

"She might be just what this thing needs to get it off the ground," Amy quipped, "Saki's got a great lead going for her so far, I think, but there's going to come a point where it falls into Korra's hands to do the rest. I got to know that kid well over the last few weeks. She is fairly swift to trust people, but if you break that trust, she will make sure you suffer."

"Then let's make sure she wins," Aveline suggested, "Saki is doomed, and she's already on it, but if Korra wins, she will learn the true nature of the Capitol—that they don't actually care for her as a person at all. So, when she comes home, inevitably traumatized and broken, she'll feel betrayed that the Capitol didn't do more for her."  
"well, if she manages to pull a Leto, I don't think we need to make it harder on her, Ava." Amy objected. "surely you as a fellow victor know that as well as I do."

"Oh, I know," Ava agreed, "but with Saki following her, I think the Gamemakers might try and do it for us. It's not like we can influence the arena much apart from controlling sponsor gifts—and Korra and Saki both seem to earn each and every one of those."  
"Even then," Amy noted, "that Vivian Nelson kid knows what's up. I don't know if she's the one that would be good for a revolution or what have you, but she's aware of the districts. That's something we will have to better figure out as District 12 prepares for this thing. Each district has a different culture, and as such, a different behavior."

"We will take that into account," Ava agreed, "a few of us are at least vaguely aware of the different cultures of the districts. If we have more people like Vivian in the districts, I figure things will start going a bit smoother. We need someone who understands both the Capitol and the districts. We're trying to unite Panem, after all—not pull it apart."

"That's why I think Korra's perfect," Amy insisted, "She is holding that alliance together. If she dies, Saki, Victor, and Vivian are going their own separate ways. If she can bring '2 and '12 together like that, imagine what we could do with that ability on a nationwide scale."

"I don't mean to toot my own horn here either," Aveline pointed out, "but if Panem unites, it will first have to unite under the banner of District 12."  
"I certainly didn't think it would start in '2," Amy chuckled, "but that's why it would be good to get someone attacking the roots. Be careful though, Ava. Word in District 2 is not too bright for the future of '12 at the rate they're going."  
"What are they saying?" Ava raised an eyebrow.

"Rumors from the Peacekeepers say that they're contemplating pulling all their forces out." Amy warned, "If they do that, you know what that means…"  
"Ugh…" Ava sighed, "our hands are bound tightly. However, you know how District 12 plays their game. Districts 8 and 11 are our primary allies here—the openly rebellious ones that work to draw the attention away from '12. Let me put it this way Amy—there isn't a single loyalist left in District 12."  
"So why are we not doing something sooner?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Look at the size of '12…" Aveline explained, "there's maybe 10,000 of us; 14,000, tops. That's in no ways enough of a force to stand against the Capitol, or really any of the districts. That's another reason we need Korra."  
"I frankly feel bad for the kid," Amy sighed, "The games are only going to get worse from here, and I don't think she's aware of how bad her trauma is going to be."  
"But look at you?" Ava suggested, "you turned out alright. I mean, you had that sort of whole 'never love again' thing for a while…"  
"How did you know about that?" Amy raised an eyebrow,

"I'm the smart one, remember?" Ava retorted, "but I didn't mean to bring up harsh memories either. I wasn't ever in love with Chel, but she was my best friend. I was just curious as to how you suffered from these games—you seem to handle it well."  
"You do too," Amy shrugged, "that doesn't mean I'm all better. Think of it this way—look at the relationships she's formed. Victor, Vivian, Koshu, Saki… they are all going to die."  
Ava suddenly had a perfect understanding of what Amy meant, and suddenly felt sorrier for Korra than she had a moment earlier. It was not a matter of her being scarred from her games—it was a matter of her being scarred from her losses. Korra was personable, which was another thing that the two little mentors thought would make her a great leader. The problem was that it became a weakness—Korra was *too* personable. She was easy to befriend, which made her friends a liability to her. Amy, Ava, Delun, Junichi, and the other conspirators in on this Hunger Games secret would just have to wait and see how Korra handled her losses—if she was able to even make it that far…

The 8th day wore on without much event until later in the evening. Victor and Vivian were hot on Laura's trail from the other day, and Vivian swore to avenge 'her fallen arm' (even if it was Sheaf that had been the one to sever it), which gave them a chuckle.

However, it seemed that the last tribute from District 11 still had a few tricks up her sleeve. While her weapon was not red-hot like it had been at the time Sheaf had cut off Vivian's arm, it was still sharp, and sharp enough to d considerable damage.

Laura ambushed Victor and Vivian, striking the former of the two with her sword, cutting him down almost immediately. Vivian screamed, and Laura took off, hoping for the attack to be a hit and run. She was only half successful in this endeavor. While Vivian did not end up reaching Laura in time, the District 11 girl was shot down by a well-placed arrow from none other than Koshu, who, upon stumbling across Vivian, actually froze right as two cannons went off. Victor was dead, but so was Laura.

"Do we fight now or later?" Koshu raised his bow in anticipation of an attack, before realizing that Vivian only had one arm. "…what happened to your arm?"

"Her partner lopped it off," she shrugged, motioning towards Laura's corpse. "And obviously a moment ago she just got my friend Victor here, and so naturally, I'm not a big fan of them."  
"Well, it was pretty obvious that I killed your partner," Koshu admitted.

"Well, at this point, I think you were right," Vivian accepted, "Support District 3, huh?"

"What are you saying?" Koshu still had his bow out.

"What I'm saying," Vivian began, "is that maybe Korra was right about you. I'm not ready to kill you if you're willing to become my ally. The problem is that I think we're going to have to break up with the other girls soon."  
"every good thing comes to an end eventually," Koshu shrugged, "I'd rather not have to kill my friends. I figure you're the same way."  
"Well… I wouldn't exactly feel the same way about turning on you…" Vivian joked, "But really—I guess it's just a matter of hoping that someone else kills our friends before we have to, you know?"  
"That does seem a bit odd coming from someone like you," Koshu remarked.

"Why?" the one-armed girl tilted her head, "because I'm human? Korra's human. Victor was human. Saki's human. You and I are human. See, as much as a lot of us would like otherwise, 6 of us are still going to die. I'm probably going to be one of them, because I've got a glaring weakness where my right arm used to be. If I'm forced to kill though, I want to do it on my own terms. I make my own rules here; not District 1, not the Gamemakers, not the career pack—just Vivian Nelson. I guess I'm just kind of hoping Zhao or that District 6 pair that's been missing since the beginning of the games ends up getting Korra before I have to, you know?"  
"I get ya," Koshu nodded, "I guess we need to go find them then."  
"Better sooner than later. Even *I* think it'd be a bit too much to just backstab them without warning. There's no fun in killing without a fight."

"True enough," the boy agreed, and with another nod and a shrug, Koshu followed Vivian as the two trekked across the arena to deliver the bad news…


	25. Chapter 25: The Breakup

**AUTHOR NOTES:**_ Korra is conflicted, and Vivian is not helping the situation. She's so cool and level-headed, and combined with Sacajawea's gentle warnings, and we've got a conflicted little career tribute here. Her journey is far from over, even if the games are approaching their end, what with only 6 tributes left. _  
_Well... 6 tributes at the end of this chapter, anyhoo._  
_Happy reading!_

**CHAPTER 25: The Breakup**

When the two cannons had gone off, Saki and Korra froze, wondering who they could have belonged to. Had Victor and Vivian been slain? Did the one-armed girl get her vengeance on District 11? Had the elusive District 6 pair been spotted? Korra did not like not knowing these things.

"You know what else is bugging me?" she turned to her darker-skinned friend as they began to make camp for the evening, "It's been two days and there hasn't been any life-threatening hazards trying to kill us like there were on the first six days. What gives?"  
"Maybe they didn't want the Capitol thinking that it was actually rigged?" Saki suggested, "Zurok is more discreet than that, and so if her Gamemakers were being too obvious, she would make sure they knew to tone it down."

"Those last dozen or so Night Witches are still out there though," Korra sighed, watching the sun disappear behind one of the distant mesas, "and the gradually increasing humidity is going to soon become a problem, if it's anything like the monsoons back home."

"We'll be fine, Korra," Saki reassured the shorter girl as the two of them curled their bare toes against the grassy rocks around them, "Your odds of winning are still pretty damn high, especially since I'll be backing you up till they get me."  
"But that's another thing that bugs," Korra shook her head, laying down with her head in her arms, gazing up at the slightly hazy sky, "you're my friend. Victor and Vivian are my friends. Koshu's my friend, even. I guess I kind of fell into that trap of falling for people in the arena, and making friends."  
"I suppose you could chalk that up as a weakness if you wanted," Saki suggested, "you're a likeable person, Korra. It's easy—well, for me at least—to see why the careers liked you, and why Koshu likes you. You're strong and smart, but you're also personable. You're a one-woman army that somehow projects supreme self-confidence and humble vulnerability. Why do you think so many people look to you as a leader?"

"I'm fine with leading people," Korra shrugged, "I just feel like I wouldn't do well at it. You've seen me when I'm out of my element."  
"Yes, and it's adorable!" Saki giggled, "your face turns so red…"  
Almost as if that was the trigger itself, Korra's freckles disappeared in a sea of pink and red. However, right as she opened her mouth to snap a response, the anthem played for the evening, revealing the names of the victims of today's scuffles.

_Victor Caruso, District 2…_

"Shit!" Korra gritted her teeth, "that better not mean…"  
_Laura Talahasi, District 11…_

Korra sighed in relief. Vivian was still alive, which, strangely, meant something to her after the District 1 girl's remarks earlier.

"Something tells me that Zurok's plan was never to have the arena annihilate me," Saki warned, "I think that she's trying to get one of the tributes to muster up the courage to finally kill me."

"Who do you think it will be though?" Korra turned to her,

"Well, if it comes down to you and I, I'm sure that somehow they will make sure you win. Otherwise… who knows? That District 6 guy scored an 11 and we haven't seen him or the kid he was with since the bloodbath. It might be Zhao, or maybe Vivian is turning on us."  
"Why would she do that though?" Korra seemed confused, "with this many tributes left?"  
"Well, maybe she wants someone else to kill you before you have to inevitably turn on her…" Saki shrugged, "or maybe she wants to find an easy way out. She's only got one arm. She knows she's at a disadvantage, and sp she's going to try and manipulate the field. Don't lose any sleep over it though, Korra. I've still got my money on you…"  
Despite that reassurance, Korra had trouble sleeping that evening.

The morning was hardly any better. Right as they were waking up and cooking the last of their food before they'd have to go hunting again, they looked up and saw Vivian approaching, with Koshu in tow. Korra seemed pleased to meet them, standing up and hoping to greet them with a smile, but the smile was short-lived as she saw their somber expressions.

"Victor is dead," Vivian announced, "as you surely noticed last night."  
"I know," Korra sighed, "but that's why I'm glad to see you."  
"Actually, about that," Vivian raised her hand, the stump that had once been her other arm bound up with cloth that was most likely sponsored. "we're here to warn you that our alliance needs to end."  
"What!?" Korra stared at Vivian like a slack-jawed village idiot, "why!?"

"I figured it'd save us the heartache." Vivian sighed, "you've got Saki, and I've got Koshu. You two have some little secret pact or whatever worked out about Saki since she's apparently not supposed to win or something, and if Koshu and I get to turn on each other, we've got scores to settle anyways, and so that's why we're fine with temporarily pairing up."  
Saki couldn't help but give a respectful nod to this girl. She was very Hunger Games-savvy, and she was showing it. Korra was admittedly surprised at the alliance between the District 1 girl and the District 3 boy, especially since she knew that Cobalt had died at Koshu's hand. Vivian had seemed rather upset when it had happened, and now here they were working together. Saki was right though—Korra hated losing friends, even if she knew that she would have to lose them before she could go home.

"So that's it then," Korra sighed, looking suddenly very distraught, "you're just going to turn on me like that despite that there are still three other tributes that could very well be plotting our demise right now?! Is that how much our alliance meant to you, Vivian?" The passion behind her voice had Vivian step back a little, but she kept her resolve firm.

"Korra…" she sighed, "it's not that at all. It's just… think about it. I would much rather have to let someone else kill you or me than to have to have the two of us have to duke it out to the death. Besides—I'm missing an arm. I'm barefoot now because I use my feet for some of the things I used to do with two arms. Face it—we're all trying to manipulate our circumstances to our advantage, because we all want to survive. If the Gamemakers are really trying to accidentally kill Saki or whatever, then look at her. Even she wants to live, and so she's fighting back. Koshu and I are just trying to even our odds a little bit without suffering too much heartache. If you want to cut us down right here and right now, do it. You're no pushover, Korra. You could overpower me in seconds, even if I still had two arms. You're a good person, Korra, and you're a great leader. I might not be afraid of death, but I don't want to be living the last few days of my life in fear of it. Strike me down here, or let us go our own separate ways and take our chances. The choice is yours, Mockingjay."

"What did you just call me?" Korra exclaimed, "How did you know about—have you been spying?"

"Nonsense," Vivian laughed, "I'm not sure if you girls have realized it or not yet—but knowing things that I'm not supposed to know is basically what I do."

"Really?" Korra tilted her head, her auburn hair falling to one side.

"Well, and you just gave it away." Vivian chuckled. "but seriously—my odds of winning aren't great, and hopefully someone else offs one of us before we have to confront each other. Pitting my odds against the great Korra Francisco is not something I'd rather do."  
"Alright…" Korra sighed, "you and Koshu best get moving then. If you're going to turn on me, I will not hesitate to gut you here and now to prevent either of you from getting Saki or me."

"May the odds be ever in your favor," Koshu gave Korra a salute before Vivian did the same except with her left hand. "Farewell."

And just like that, the two tributes took off southward, hoping to pick off some of the others before they became victims themselves. Korra watched them go, and sighed.

"No one decent ever wins these games, Korra," Saki muttered, "because by the time there's a victor announced, that poor kid is a fractured remnant of who they once were."  
"I can overcome it," Korra insisted.

"Hmm, the nightmares?" Saki raised an eyebrow, "or the PTSD?"  
"Definitely the nightmares…" Korra agreed, "maybe the PTSD. I'm not sure. Some of the victors seem pretty stable to me. Amy seems stable. Leto seems stable. Your two latest victors seemed pretty calm."

"Doesn't mean we can't still suffer fr—" Saki froze.

Another cannon had just gone off.


	26. Chapter 26: Elements of Surprise

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The games start picking up as we get into the final 5. There will be minimal intermission between now and the finale, and soon we'll have our victor of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games-even if it's not going to be Victor. These games are full of surprises, and this chapter drops a good number of them throughout. We also get to learn what Vivian's profession was before the games._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 26: Elements of Surprise**

It was almost like Zhao Takoda had been waiting around the next couple of bends in an attempt to ambush the next career tribute that crossed his path. A geeky boy and a one-armed girl didn't exactly seem too threatening, but he had gravely underestimated the power of Vivian Nelson.

Vivian's reflexes were still lightning-quick, and when she saw the throwing axe coming her way again, she did not make the same mistake she had made with Sheaf, and instead, hooked it with her own axe (which had formerly belonged to that District 11 boy), and then slung it back at its original wielder with such force that it struck him in the chest with the handle.

"Well crap," Vivian swore as she lunged with her own axe drawn, sinking it into the fallen boy's chest before he could get back up. "you know… I've always wondered why in the films and reruns of the Hunger Games, that they always make it seem like you can throw a weapon and it'll always land with the pointy end in the target. Really, that only happens about half the time."

"No offense, Zhao," Vivian shrugged as she sheathed her axe and glanced down at Zhao's lifeless body as a cannon went off, "it's just business."

"So what happens the other half of the time?" Koshu tilted his head as he followed the one-armed girl,

"What you just saw, really," Vivian shrugged again; "they get hit with the handle or the blunt end of the weapon. It's a good thing I've got a decent enough throwing arm. If I hadn't knocked him down, he probably would have gotten me. Really, what you want to do is throw your weapon like this."  
Vivian pulled out a sword and lobbed it straightforward, instead of having it spin through the air like her axe had done.

"Or of course, just use throwing weapons to throw, and melee weapons for melee," Koshu suggested.

"yeah, there's this thing called being resourceful with what you have," Vivian retorted, "I can't exactly draw back a bowstring anymore unless I use my feet. Want me to show you?"  
"Is that why you took your shoes off?"  
"Of course; what; you think just because they dressed me up in hardly anything during the parade and my interview that my good looks were my selling point? Kid, I've been getting sponsor gifts all over lately, as you've surely noticed."

Koshu had to agree that she had a point. The shiny new weapons and the delicious cases of food that Vivian had received had been a boon to her, to put it lightly. The only times she had to put herself at risk was when she chose to, and given Vivian's erratic and fearless nature despite being an amputee, she was not exactly the fearful type.

"Not to say that you or your partner did too shabby either," she added, "that whole little 'Support District 3' marquee you had certainly got my attention."

"Well, we've got more than looks too." Koshu indicated.

"Well of course you do," Vivian shrugged, "everyone's got their talents, and not all of them revolve around combat or killing. If the only marketable skill in Panem was how well you could kill someone, we'd all be dead within a month."  
"So what did you do before the games?" Koshu was suddenly more curious about this quirky career girl.

"I was a hair stylist," she shrugged, "hopefully if I win I can get a replacement prosthetic that works just as well as my old arm did."

"So what do you think about Korra?" Koshu had to ask, "I mean, you obviously would much rather kill me than her, right?"  
"Well, I stand more of a chance against you," Vivian explained, "but really, I'm just not sure if I can bring myself to kill that kid. Panem needs more people like her. When she realizes who she is—she will understand. Do you get what I mean?"  
"Aye," Koshu nodded, "I think I do." He was actually surprised that Vivian knew it, for it sounded like part of a rebellion—something that most of District 1 did not seem even slightly interested in.

"Do you know what else I just realized?" Vivian's eyes widened.  
"What," Koshu tilted his head.

"My tracker's gone." Vivian clarified, "I think the only way they know where I am is because I've been with you, Victor, or Korra ever since losing my arm…."  
But of course, the Gamemakers were listening in on every word.  
"Do you suppose she poses a threat to the system?" one of the Gamemakers asked Head Gamemaker Zurok, who seemed to be concocting another trap for Sacajawea. The winged woman shook her head with that confident smirk she always wore. "She won't go far," she reassured the other Gamemakers, glancing briefly at the holographic arena in front of them, where a number 1 was still pointing at the spot where Vivian's arm had been cut off. It was colored red, signaling that the tracker was reading that the tribute was dead, but the Gamemakers did not fire the cannon because they knew Vivian was alive.

"It just means we have to watch closely for when she dies so that we set off the cannon at the right time." She chortled, only to pause a moment later as some of the Gamemakers gasped. Coriolanus Snow had just entered the control room.

"Ms. Takamatzu," he called out in a soft yet commanding tone, "A moment of your time, if you please."

With a nod, Zurok followed Snow out of the control room and into a nearby room that had various screens focused on the remaining tributes.

"How are the games?" Zurok smiled, seeming very proud of herself so far.

"The performance you and your Gamemakers have given us is spectacular, as one might expect." Snow gave a rare smirk, "but I am here for one reason, and you likely already know what it is. I need Ms. Sacajawea Kwan dead—and she currently still lives. Would you mind explaining this to me?"  
"But of course," Zurok grinned, "These two…" she pointed at a screen depicting Garrett and little Alayna huddled by a little campfire, "are about to go out and meet our friends from districts 2 and 12. You know how I operate, President. If at all possible, I enjoy watching the tributes slay each other rather than allow myself to have all the fun."  
"And if they fail…" Snow took plenty of cautions in his life, and this was one of them.

"then I have multiple backup plans to ensure that she does not escape alive." Zurok reassured him,

"Perfect," Snow nodded approvingly, "I would not expect anything less than that."

"Is there anything else you would like, President?" Zurok asked.

"I merely wished to ensure that you still remembered the plan." Snow stood back up, "you have surprised me yet again, Zurok Takamatzu. I will await your next move as I watch the remainder of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games."

As Korra and Saki camped for the remainder of day 9, Saki couldn't help but wonder where the traps and mutations were. The first 6 days had had these hazards presenting themselves plainly, and so not seeing any of them up there was discomforting. As they settled down for the night, they waited for the anthem to play to see who had gotten killed.

_Zhao Takoda, District 8…_

"I wonder if Vivian got him or if Koshu did…" Korra mused aloud,

"It might have been District 6," Saki pointed out, "but something tells me Vivian isn't going to go down without a fight. Really, what I'm most impressed about is that she hasn't said anything about her tracker yet. If my arm got lopped off… I could be out of the Capitol's eye…"  
Out of the Capitol's watchful range—that was a thought that intrigued Korra more and more. Saki's words were getting to her, and it forced her to think. It was thoughts like these that flowed through Korra's mind as she tumbled off to sleep.

The next morning Korra and Saki were back on the prowl. Korra figured there were probably only three or four days left of the games, since most of the recent Hunger Games had lasted exactly 14 days. She wondered if there was a trend or if that was just a coincidence. Either way, the two girls were back on the move, and their new targets were hopefully going to be District 6.

Despite how elusive the pair had been for the last 9 days of the arena, Korra was baffled when she all but stumbled into a little clearing where it seemed that a large camp had been set up between a few rocks. The increasing humidity had added greenery to the situation, but otherwise, there was Alayna, alone and minding her own business. She turned to Korra, and did not even flinch when Korra drew her swords. Slowly, Korra stepped towards the girl, wondering what she was doing. She appeared unarmed.

Korra and Saki were in for a shock a moment later. When Korra got within about 4 feet of the little girl, she suddenly screamed a name at the top of her lungs.

"GARRETT!"

Startled by this, Korra thrust her sword-arm forward, impaling the smaller girl, silencing and killing her immediately. A cannon fired, and instead of silence, there was a smashing noise growing louder in the distance. Neither of the two girls needed to know who it was.

"I think if we don't get the hell out of here right about now…" Saki warned, "we're going to cross paths with a very angry Garrett Locke."


	27. Chapter 27: Fight and Flight

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we approach the final stretch. Garrett looms mean, and it seems that as the Games approach their end, the Gamemakers decide to throw a few traps at our tributes. Not that they aren't prpared for it of course-they're all veterans at this point._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 27: Fight and Flight**

It took a few moments for Korra to realize what she had just done. Sure it had been necessary, but she had killed an innocent and unarmed girl in cold blood. Saki seemed much more understanding of the situation, thinking consistently that it was a necessary evil in order to get Korra out of the arena alive. With only 5 tributes left, she knew that she had to protect Korra with everything else she had. Even as they ran from the smashing noise that could only belong to Alayna's district partner, she was thinking about who she wished to help preserve. If Vivian was more in touch with the revolution the way she had ensured Korra was, Saki actually contemplated telling her about it. Not that the District 1 girl would not be suitable for Saki's goals, but Saki felt like Vivian would have been a suitable alternative for what she wanted if Vivian knew the things that Korra knew.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" they heard a roar from behind them, "YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!"

It was weird, because Korra did not remember that boy being so violent. On the other hand, perhaps Alayna was something of a berserk button that set Garrett's fury off or something.

Fortunately, they managed to lose the large boy somewhere behind them, but of course, with him out for their blood, they knew that they would have to watch their backs.

It was only after the two girls stopped running that they realized how winded they were. There was an odd presence in the arena, and breathing was becoming more difficult than it had been on the first couple of days.

"Do you think there's something in the air?" Korra asked, only after the stomping had grown silent, which meant that they had most likely lost Garrett, "or is it something else?"  
"I think it's just getting more humid," Saki shrugged, "the air doesn't seem poison or anything—just thick and heavy. I guess we'll find out later tonight. Until then, I suggest we get moving and distance ourselves from Garrett till he's calmed down a bit. If he's anything like you, Korra, then he's going to be one to watch out for…"  
That explained at least how he had gotten an 11 in training. On the other hand, Victor had scored a 12 and was dead, while Vivian had only scored a 10 and had managed to kill two other tributes, even after she had lost an arm. It made Korra wonder how many sponsor gifts the girl had gotten—hopefully not too many, especially since she claimed that their alliance had ended.

Korra and Saki camped at the empty cornucopia that evening. It had long since been plundered, and so all that was left were the empty pedestals and the large, deserted golden horn. The anthem played that evening, showing the face of the little girl that Korra had killed.

_Alayna Marth, District 6…_

Korra swore she heard a scream, but maybe she was just imagining Garrett's reaction to seeing his partner's face in the sky. She did not know the relationship the two had had (other than that they couldn't have been siblings), other than that it had apparently been a very strong one if Garrett was so furious at the child's death.

In fact, so furious was Garrett Locke that he did not even seem to care who he attacked. He stumbled across Vivian and Koshu later that evening, and he attacked. Both tributes began running, but Garrett was catching up, his mace in hand.

"We're not going to be able to outrun him!" Koshu warned.

"Then I guess all I have to do is outrun you…" Vivian frowned, suddenly picking up her running pace. Her missing arm did not detract from the lightness she had on her feet. "I'm sorry, Koshu…"  
Koshu felt something drop in the pit of his stomach, before he turned around, shooting an arrow at Garrett, who was now in range. It pierced his left arm, causing him to howl for a moment. However, a moment later, his mace struck Koshu across the head, blackening his vision and causing a cannon to fire. The crazed tribute wore himself out trying to chase Vivian, and his failure to catch her meant something very interesting for the tributes and Gamemakers alike. Without any other tributes near her, and without her right arm to carry her tracker, Vivian Nelson was now invisible to all of Panem.

Day 11 and Day 12 were uneventful with two exceptions—a misty fog had moved into the now very green arena, proving the tributes' theories that it was a rocky valley that had turned into a lush rainforest. They added water to the rocks, and the flora grew rapidly.

The other thing that happened was that on Night 11, the Night Witches attacked again, with half a dozen of those flying savages aiming to try and tear Korra and Saki apart. Both girls knew who they were aiming for, and so Korra turned the tables and protected Saki instead of the other way around.

The fight was different from the previous dozen though. While there were only six of them this time, their attacks were very coordinated, and managed to rough up both Korra and Saki before they finally toppled the creatures. Korra's skills as a berserker continued to prove how useful they were, and she once again reminded Panem that she was nigh unstoppable.

"It's almost as if they forgot you're a crazy berserker," Saki quipped as Korra ripped her swords out of one of the creatures, "those remaining six don't stand a chance."

"I guess we'll see tomorrow if those other ones show up." Korra shrugged.

Unsurprisingly, Night 12 saw the remaining 6 Night Witches attack, and it was almost a déjà vu of the previous day. Either way, Korra and Saki managed to dispatch these creatures in a similar fashion to the way they had the previous night. All in all, the two days kind of blended together except for a face in the sky on the former of the two nights.

_Koshu Varada, District 3…_

"Vivian's invisible," Saki pointed out, and when Day 13 rolled around, that phrase still rang true. There was no sign of that District 1 girl, and Garrett had not appeared either. Still, without Koshu and Alayna, that meant only four tributes remained: Saki, Korra, Garrett, and Vivian. Korra wondered how well Vivian was doing at the moment, and also wondered if Garrett's rampage had worn off. All Korra knew was that he was suffering from some kind of withdrawal, which might have explained his hair-trigger temper, especially after his partner was killed.

Saki learned what her 'trap of the day' on day 13 was fairly quickly though—a couple of hours before midday, from under some of the rocks, a large swarm of spiders that were about half the size of Saki or Korra emerged began coming towards them. Ironically, it just made Korra laugh.

"Spider-mutts…" she chortled, "I wonder how many people across Panem just shit themselves?"

Compared to the bears, the fireballs, and the flying Night Witches, the spider mutts did not seem very difficult to finish off at all. After a few slashes from her swords did minimal damage, Korra tried the most basic of options on them, by literally jumping on top of one of the large arachnids. To her slight surprise, she was able to smash it with her weight, which made her laugh.

"highlight of the games, right here…" she chortled. Otherwise, they made quick work of the spiders and called it an afternoon. It was as they sat down enjoying some of the last of their food that Korra finally popped another curious question that was nagging at her for a while.

"So…" she fiddled with a little gold necklace under her shirt that her stylists had given her, "what's all this Mockingjay stuff you talked about a week or so ago?"

Saki sighed, as if she had been expecting this question to pop up sooner or later. "Our paths did not cross by mere chance." she indicated, "I sought you out—and thus me and some others have been watching you for some time now. I did what I could to assist you, but I am also bound by certain restrictions. I represent an interest in this conflict that is not really at liberty to disclose their identity. Suffice to say, they share my belief in your potential. Now, listen closely…"

Saki leaned in and lowered her voice. "Most victors of the games are not happy with how they are treated. I might be wrong about how they treat you, but I've seen far too many of them get thrown by the wayside once they are done being showered in riches and glory. The post-traumatic stress that so many of them suffer from gets overlooked completely. I just think that victors deserve better—that Panem deserves better."

"So this involves me… how?" Korra asked.

"I think you could become a hero," Saki suggested, "I can't really explain it too well, but I can assure you that your mentor and escort know about it. Talk to them when you get the chance"  
"Saki… I'm in the 'games. I won't be able to talk to them till I get out."

"Then we best be getting you out of here," Saki smirked, "on your feet, Francisco. Besides—I suspect we'll have company soon…"

"What makes you say that?" Korra tilted her head.

"we're rounding up on 14 days," Saki explained, "that means someone's going to die soon and with 4 tributes left, the games are more likely to draw to an end…"  
Korra stood, but also nodded. As much as she was against the notion, she knew that she would have to eliminate Vivian and Saki—not just Garrett. She mentally prepared herself for this, but even that did not make it any easier…


	28. Chapter 28: A Grasping Truth

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter is laced with Princess Bride quotes and references that I do not even remotely apologize for. Also-someone dies. It's surprising to see a new chapter a day after another chapter, isn't it? As the games draw to a close, I've been planning out the ending for months, and so this is fairly smooth sailing at least for a while._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 28: A Grasping Truth**

It was late in the evening before Korra and Saki heard from Vivian again. She froze upon spotting them, but drew her sword either way, and had a shield on her left arm that looked like it had been sponsored.

"Damn," she swore, "I was hoping that someone would have finished off Garrett before we crossed paths. He got Koshu good, and then I haven't seen him since…"

Korra frowned. At least that explained who had killed Koshu. Half of her had expected that it would have been Vivian, perhaps in retribution for Cobalt's death several days ago; but perhaps Garrett was just on a homicidal rampage without regard to who he slew.

"It's your move, Vivian," Korra warned, "we can do this the way you want to." Saki was shaking her head and drawing a line across her throat, but that had not stopped Korra from laying the terms. To Saki's relief, however, Vivian's answer was not what she had feared.

"Well, if I don't have to fight you both at once, that'd be swell," the one-armed girl chuckled, "Actually—of the two of you; I want to fight Sacajawea more. Korra would just cut off my other arm in one of her berserker rampages and before I know it I'd be a bleeding stump on the ground biting her ankles because she'd cut off my legs."  
"Come on, Viv," Korra shook her head, "I wouldn't do that to you—I'd end it quickly if I was able to best you. I think most kids would have called it quits after losing an arm—but you realized that there were ways to deal with it and to remain strong. I respect that like you wouldn't believe."

"Well either way," Vivian noted, "let's see how the great rebel leader Sacajawea Kwan fares against a District 1 renegade, shall we?"

"At your ready," Saki nodded respectfully. Korra could only sit down on a nearby rock and witness the spectacle. She did not know who she wanted to win, at this point. She knew that she would probably have to either kill the survivor or let Garrett get it—but she was worried about that boy because he was a wild thing that was likely to be unpredictable if he was indeed suffering from Morphling withdrawals like the others theorized that he was.

Despite Saki wielding two weapons, it appeared to mostly be a left-handed battle. Vivian appeared to still be faster than Saki, and she was incredibly nimble. There were a few times even when she evaded Saki's attacks by flipping, landing on her hand, kicking at the District 12 girl, and then landing back on her feet after another flip.

"It makes me curious," Vivian took the defensive, using her shield arm to block Saki's strikes, "I wonder if I should just turn myself in? I'll be winded by the time I face Korra…"  
"Please consider me as an alternative to suicide," Saki suggested. "I don't think that anyone wants to see their star tribute kill themselves just because of ill fortune."  
"It's a thought," Vivian parried one of Saki's strikes, "but not one that I wish to pursue—not when there's a fight to be had and a life to live…"

"A quaintly optimistic thought," Saki noted, "I suppose it's worth saying that anyone with half a wit should recognize you as a formidable force, one arm or not."

"Indeed," Vivian smirked, "and I see you are using Layla's Defense against me, hmm?"

"I thought it fitting considering the rocky terrain," Saki indicated, thrusting her arms forward to throw one of Vivian's attacks off course,

"Naturally, you must expect me to attack with Leven's Maneuver?" Vivian flipped backwards to evade a counterattack from Sacajawea.  
"Naturally," Saki nodded, bending backwards to prevent getting bashed in the face with Vivian's shield, "but I find that Fletch's Gambit cancels out Leven's Maneuver—don't you?"  
"Aye," Vivian agreed, "unless the enemy has studied up on Ikki Ortolani—which I have!"

Steel clashed against steel as the two girls battled for dominance.

"You are wonderful!" Saki exclaimed, "You do more with one arm than many people can do with two!"

"Thank you;" Vivian smiled, "I've worked hard to become so; especially as of recent thanks to District 11, if I recall correctly…"

"I admit it though—you're better than I am, despite our training scores." Saki confessed.

"Then why are you smiling?" Vivian raised a curious eyebrow, staying light on her feet.

"Because I know something you don't know:" Saki stepped back a moment,

"And what is that?" Vivian's brow furrowed again.

"I am not left-handed!" Saki suddenly gained an advantage over Vivian, putting the District 1 girl on the defensive. Vivian recoiled, but kept her cool.

"And such is my undoing," she lamented, "Alack, Alay!"

Sure enough, with Saki increasing the pressure on Vivian, it was only a matter of time before she landed a wound on her that knocked her down, where she pointed her swords at Vivian's throat. She raised her arm and shook her head, showing that she yielded. Despite the friendly banter they had had during their fight, Vivian couldn't help but be saddened knowing that her life was about to end. Even Saki and Korra knew it, and they looked just about as sad, for the same reason.

"2,160…" Vivian sighed as she gazed up at the tribute she knew would end her life.

"I beg your pardon," Saki tilted her head,

"2,160… that are how many children have died in these arenas: 91 years of 23 deaths, and 47 for that one quarter quell. Add the 20 kids that have already died this year, and that puts us at 2,160. You'll bump that number up to 2,161 in a few moments, I presume."

"I'm nothing but a future casualty in these games too, Vivian," Saki pointed out, "I am not here because I want to be—and yet you volunteered."  
"That's the worst part," Vivian's breathing appeared to be slightly labored by now, "there are parents who willingly send their children out here. If there are 2,160 children dead, then that's around 4,300 parents that were there to watch their children's death on national television, and see their picture in the sky one last time before they receive their son or daughter's remains in a casket a few days later. That's over four thousand mothers and fathers who had to wave goodbye to their terrified children for what would be the last time. Some were excited to prove their worth, while others knew from the start that they were doomed. Over 4,000 men and women sank to their knees as they saw their children fall in these games. Many of them had siblings—I saw your reaping—you have 6 younger brothers and sisters you're never seeing again. My death isn't even what's hurting me—it's knowing how my mother and father will react—it's knowing that I will never be able to go home and reassure them that their eldest daughter is alive and well despite losing her arm. It's knowing the guilt and heartbreak they will feel knowing that they, like so many others in my district, eagerly and unwittingly sent their child to their death. My life is not important to me because of my dreams, Sacajawea Kwan. My life is important to me because of my mother, my father, my younger sister and my two brothers. They are the ones that are going to have to suffer for years to come. I get the easy way out. Even if you stay your hand, I'm not getting back up. I don't have it left in me. Mother, Father—I'm sorry I didn't make it…"

Saki frowned. Vivian did not seem like the type to just give up, but as the moments passed, a large swathe of blood began to congregate on the front of her shirt. Apparently Saki had slashed her there at one point or another, and it had only just barely begun to bleed.

"Saki…" Vivian wheezed, "please…"  
Korra turned away, wiping her face with her hand. She claimed it was the humidity, but only Saki could judge otherwise, since Vivian's final moments were now.

"You lived and fought honorably," she knelt down, "it was a bold move to come and challenge us, and I feel like had you not been handicapped, you might have succeeded." Saki had injuries of her own, but she would not bleed out like Vivian would. "You seem a decent person, Vivian. I'd hate to kill you."  
"And you seem a decent person," Vivian whispered, "I'd hate to die… but I need you to end it. You bested me, and so death is my only option."  
Oh how Saki wished that could be different. Her faith now rested with Korra, especially after she drew a knife and slit Vivian's throat with one cold, clean swipe. A cannon fired, and not more than 5 minutes later, the anthem played for the evening. Naturally, neither girl was surprised to see the face in the sky. It was almost as if the Capitol had been waiting for that duel to finish before going on with it.

_Vivian Nelson, District 1…_

"Let's get some rest." Saki turned to Korra, whose face was in fact a little red, but was thankfully concealed by the darkness, "we've got to weed out Garrett tomorrow."


	29. Chapter 29: Fall of the Mighty

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _We get a little Mockingjay reference in this chapter and a verse to a song. And with this, Part II, as well as the 93rd Annual Hunger Games themselves, finally draw to an end. As bad as I am at making titles, this one just seems utterly appropriate in more ways than one. Also, it gives our victor a rather cruel and rude awakening as to the reality of the games._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 29: Fall of the Mighty**

The 14th morning was an interesting phenomenon. There was a light, hazy fog that sort of spanned the arena, and greenery was everywhere, covering most of the rocks. The haze reduced visibility by several meters, but still enough to see about 50-60 feet in front of them without obstacles, at least.

The tribute pair wandered around the arena, finding rivers and fissures in the rocks as they went, effectively cutting off certain parts of the place. It seemed the Gamemakers were trying to narrow down the place to make it easier for the remaining three tributes to find each other.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they finished following the Gamemakers' obstacles, which led them right next to the northern rim of the arena, where the canyon and the flying Night Witches were—or where they had been before Korra eventually had killed them all.

A little searching around and they found the remnants of a campsite surrounded by rocks and a lone tree. Either Garrett had been here, or this was the work of one of the other tributes before they had fallen in the arena.

"What say we rig this place up," Saki suggested, "'12 and '11 are pretty well-known for their traps and ambushes, I reckon."  
"And '2 is known for being crazy awesome at fighting." Korra chuckled, "but I suppose we'll get plenty of that in the hours to come."

"Indeed," Saki nodded, before reaching into his pack and whipping out some rope and a few other supplies. Korra mostly just watched her string something up in the tree and towards some of the rocks.

"What are you even doing," Korra couldn't help but ask,

"It's a trap," Saki explained, "trying to build triggers, tripwires, and pressure plates out of rope, some scraps, and a few sponsored materials is harder than it looks, you know."  
"Well, can I help?" Korra offered, feeling slightly awkward just sitting around doing nothing.

"are you versed at all in trap building," Saki asked, "or did you go straight for the weapons station back at the training center?"

"I guess I'll just watch then." Korra sat down, and Saki chuckled.  
"All I need you to do at this point, Korra, is not get killed." She reassured the shorter girl. "Think you can do that for me, hmm?"

"Of course," Kkorra rolled her eyes, and so she put her hands together, curling her toes in the grass beneath her feet, and watched Saki work. She was a diligent and skilled laborer, which might have also explained her soldier's physique. She looked likt eht type of woman that might make a good Peacekeeper if she had even a shred of loyalty to the Capitol, but something told Korra that Sacajawea Kwan was about as far away from that point of the spectrum as she could get.

What really surprised Korra, however, was the song that Saki began singing a song that sounded familiar, and yet sounded unfamiliar at the same time.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree…  
wear a necklace of rope—side by side with me  
Strange things did happen here; no stranger would it be,  
if we met, at mid-night in the Hanging Tree…_

She wondered what the story behind it was, but before she could ask, Saki sang another verse.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree…  
where legends are told—of victor '93.  
Strange things did happen here; no stranger would it be,  
if we met, at mid-night in the Hanging Tree._

"Victor 93?" Korra piped up, causing Saki to give pause right as she was trying a particularly complex knot in a tree branch. "And what is that about a necklace of rope…"  
"what happens when you hang someone?" Saki responded.

"They… die?" Korra tilted her head. "I'm a fighter, not a master of logic puzzles, Saki."

"I'd much rather wear a rope necklace than subjugate myself to Capitol rule." Saki explained, "District 12 is the same way. There's a reason they have eyes on us."  
"And so what's that about victor '93? I don't assume you're talking about Victor my partner, were you?"  
"That verse is about you, actually," Saki chuckled. "I've been thinking about it ever since meeting you in the training center. Korra—it's already a long-decided fact that I am not winning these games. I don't know enough about Garrett to judge him positively or not, but you—you are perfect. You are just perfect in so many ways that I can't even begin to explain. Panem needs you, Korra. I am ready to give my life to ensure your victory. You need to understand that."  
"And so how is that legendary?" Korra shook her head, gazing away from Saki and at the ground. "if you're just going to throw the fight, that just makes me lucky at best and anticlimactic at worst."  
"It's not about me throwing the fight," Saki explained, "it's about you getting out of this arena—"

There was a pause, and then suddenly a crunch. A cannon fired, causing Korra to whirl around. Had Saki's trap worked already?  
On one hand, there was Garrett, and on the other hand, two things had just happened: Saki's neck was twisted and her body limp, and her face had just appeared in the sky. Garrett held her body for a moment before dropping it to the ground.

_Sacajawea Kwan, District 12…_

"Your friend is dead," Garrett grunted, turning to Korra, "and now you're next."  
"NO!" Korra roared, and in what was arguably a cross between brave, bold, and stupid, Korra lunged at the older boy, forcing both tributes into a grapple. Garrett was larger, but Korra's raw physical strength kept her matched against him. Her footwork was careful, and she was slowly leading them both to the edge. However, before she could fully swivel around and fling Garrett off the ledge like she had hoped to do, Garrett shoved, forcing them both to take a tumble off the cliff. They grappled in the air for a second before Korra felt her back slam against a rock. The two tributes flipped over and Garrett slammed against rocks as well. They continued tumbling down the jagged cliffs, bouncing down the side of the ledge like a ball down a flight of stairs. As they neared the foot of the cliff, they flipped again and again until Garrett managed to position them in a way that made Korra come slamming down so hard on her ankles that she heard them crack as they buckled below her. Crying out in pain, she fell onto her back, breathing deeply and frantically as she tried to assess the situation. Blood was all around her as she fell onto her back, her vision still hazy. Korra felt numb from the thighs down —or at least, she did until she felt a sharp crack on her left knee. Instantly she was brought back around, and realized that Garrett had just slammed the heel of his boot right into Korra's knee, cracking it in some way. Desperately, Korra reached for something—anything, to keep Garrett from finishing her—knowing that with a yell like the one he just did, that death was coming. A moment later, the sharp pain erupted in her right knee from him repeating the technique on it. Gripping a large rock with her one good hand, Korra slung it towards his face, knowing that she had only one shot.

Her aim rang true, and it knocked Garrett nearly straight out. He was on his back, groaning in pain, and Korra used her arm strength to drag herself towards him.

"If you had just killed me instead of drawing it out…" she wheezed, blood dripping from her face onto his chest, "you could have gone home!"

"YOU KILLED HER!" Garrett yelled, his eyes still bloodshot from what appeared to be a crazed withdrawal. Korra knew that she had to act quickly.  
She grabbed the rock and slammed it against Garrett's chest, knocking the wind out of him again before she took it and smashed it against his skull repeatedly until the boy stopped moving and a cannon fired. Korra collapsed on top of his body right as a hologram appeared in the sky.

_Garrett Locke, District 6…_

Breathing heavily and manically, Korra tried to keep herself composed. She nearly passed out as she saw her shattered, mangled legs, and the pool of blood that she was practically swimming in. seconds seemed like hours as she lay there, slowly dying. She glanced up at the sky one more time, rolling over onto her back and moaning as her hair landed in more blood, sticking to the ground. There she saw her face, before she had received all of these horrific injuries.

_Korra Francisco, District 2…_

And a few seconds after her name and face had appeared, blazing red letters appeared below it, depicting what Korra knew all along.

_VICTOR._

"Ladies and gentlemen," Korra heard he announcement over a loudspeaker. "The victor of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games: Korra Francisco of District 2!"

Was this what victory was like? She felt no happiness; no glory—only pain and agony. Was this the suffering that Korra had volunteered for less than a month ago? Perhaps Sacajawea was onto something. If she was challenging the system, then it was no wonder the Capitol rigged her odds. Korra felt nothing but agony and misery despite winning the games. She had become a brutal murderer, and lost everything in the process: she had lost her friends, her sanity, and was very likely going to also lose her legs from the hip down.

Regardless of that, however, Korra was still a victor—a survivor of these sadistic games.

Korra was now the 17th victor from District 2.


	30. Chapter 30: A Fading Vision

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And here is one of the scenes I've been waiting forever to write and publish. As gung-ho and indifferent as Korra might have seemed in the games, don't think for a moment that she was unaffected. This chapter begins a series of chapters where we get to see just how severe Korra's PTSD has really gotten to her. It works hard and it works fast, which means our freckled heroine's got a lot of recovering to do, both on a physical level and a mental level. Food for thought._  
_Happy Reading!_

**PART III: BIRTH OF A MOCKINGJAY**

**CHAPTER 30: A Fading Vision**

The hovercrafts that came for the tribute corpses and the victor seemed a bit more hurried than usual, given the critical condition of the victor. In fact, the cannon that went off for Garrett had hardly even fired when Korra heard the sound of the crafts above her. The injured victor was lying in a pool of her own blood, her legs mangled and her chest and face covered in cuts and cruises. Korra Francisco was clinging to life just barely, and it was clear that if she did not receive immediate attention, that she was going to lose enough blood and die. If there had been another tribute alive, then perhaps the Capitol would not have cared for her life at all and they would have let her die, but since she was the last remaining tribute, they had to keep her alive to have their victor. Korra felt herself being lifted onto what was probably a stretcher, and was rushed into the hovercraft, which immediately took off. Her vision grew hazy, and she was pretty sure that they were en route to an operating room right there on the ship, rather than hoping she would last all the way to the Capitol.

They did not even need to use sedatives for her. All it took was a few more moments of bleeding and agonizing pain before Korra Francisco blacked out.

When she awoke, she found herself in a white hospital gown. She could hear noises around her, and a few of these noises were rather discomforting. There were reports of some sort—something announcing that District 12 was a threat to the integrity of Panem. She tried to shift and get a better view, but her lower half would not cooperate. Korra attempted to rectify that, and tried to move her legs. However, she couldn't, and so she panicked. Throwing the sheets off of her (since her arms were still functional), she saw that her legs were all bandaged and that she couldn't move them very well. She tried anyways, pushing herself to the side of her bed and then attempting to stand up, but all that happened was she fell flat on her face, moaning in pain. She looked up and saw the base of a wheelchair waiting beside her bed. Was she really in such a wretched condition that she needed that? No; no she couldn't be. Her arms were still strong and mostly intact, and so she attempted to pull herself up using only them, but the critical state of her body had also drained most of her strength, and so all she really managed to do was flop back down onto her stomach and groan.

Tears ran down her face as she quietly sobbed, realizing what a helpless wreck she currently was. Korra could not stand by herself, and now that she had fallen, she could not get up. That strong, athletic, able-bodied girl that had brawled her way to the tribute stage less than a month ago was gone.

Korra cried out for help, pleading for someone—anyone—to come and help set her right. Agonizing minutes flew by without a sign of any aid, and in this moment, Korra felt more alone than she ever had in her life. Losing Victor, Saki, Vivian, and Koshu in the arena was one thing, and even when she was lying in her own blood atop Garrett's corpse, she had not felt this forlorn, and so perhaps it was unsurprising when she began softly sobbing on the floor.

Fortunately, after a few minutes her cries attracted attention, and soon a tiny, dark-skinned girl stepped inside, a frown creeping over her face as she saw her pitiful successor curled in a miserable little heap on the floor, quietly weeping.

"I was worried about you, kid," the voice belonged to Amy. "you were out for a while. We're landing in a few moments and they're ready to escort you out, but we didn't exactly want to take you to the prep room while you were unconscious. They were contemplating amputating your legs—"  
"NO!" Korra shrieked, panicking and trying to use her arms to pull herself away from Amy. "No… please… don't let them take my legs!"

"Korra, relax, I didn't mean—"

'DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" she begged, crying fiercely again at this point.

"Korra," Amy grabbed the older girl's hand. "calm down. They're not gonna amputate you. I'll make sure of that. But if you're not gonna take the Capitol prosthetics, you're gonna be in that wheelchair for a long time—possibly all the way to your victory tour. Even Capitol technology can't just patch bones and joints together in a matter of minutes with how badly yours were shattered."

"how… how bad was it," Korra whispered as Amy grunted, hefting the larger girl into the wheelchair so they could sit up instead of Amy talking to Korra as she was lying on the floor.

"your kneecaps were cracked in several places, your thighs and shins suffered multiple compound fractures, and your ankles were shattered." Amy explained, "Really, it's amazing they were able to even give your legs a chance at restoration at all."

"How do you do it Amy? How did you survive the games and become so calm?" Korra complained.

"I'm calm, but not unhurt," Amy explained, "Korra, I simply don't feel anything. I feel very little joy or suffering—and as nice as that sounds, I wish I could be as happy as other people. It's hard, I know—but I'm here for you. Clove's there for you, and so are all the others."

"I… I want to see the footage," Korra stammered a moment later, "Of the cliff—of Garrett."  
"Already," Amy tilted her head. Most victors despised seeing their games, especially when the horrors were so fresh in their minds.

"Already," Korra insisted.

"unfortunately, this is probably the one time in your life where you can't see them yet—you're needed in the prep room as soon as possible so we can get you ready for tonight. Delun and the stylists are excited as they always are—they're oblivious to your suffering, Korra."

Korra sighed. "I wish I had died. Anything would be better than being a traumatized crippled wreck."  
"I know who you need," Amy noted, "she works as the District 12 Escort, but she's also sot of unofficially a victor therapist, so to speak. You need to talk to Junichi—but first, let's get you dressed. Hopefully they can spare a moment or two before your interview."

Both stylists seemed relieved to see Korra, but saddened by her pitiful situation. Still, they were gentle with Korra, understanding her delicate condition and treating her with care and kindness as they properly cleaned her up and began to clothe and primp her.

Sure enough, Zakuya and Misaha were silently efficient, and before Korra knew it, she was outfitted in a fiery red dress that seemed to change shades and intensities based on what angle it was viewed from. The gown went to her feet, completely concealing her bandaged legs, not wanting the public to see just how severely injured she was.

"Damn…" Clove quipped when she and Amy finally saw Korra wheeled out to them, "now I really wish you could walk again, kid."  
Korra sighed. "I wish I could too. I can't bathe myself, I can't dress myself… I can't stand, I can't walk, I can't do anything! ughh… just…" she trailed off, clenching her fists loathingly as she let it sink in just how helpless and weak she was.

"There's an hour or so before your interview," Amy added, "I can take you to see Junichi if you wanted. She's usually still around at this point."

"That might be for the best," Korra sighed.

Amy wheeled Korra down a couple of hallways until they ran into the exact woman they were looking for—Junichi Thatch herself.

"Jun," Amy spoke up, causing the older blue-haired woman to turn around. She gasped in surprise at seeing the girl in the wheelchair wearing such a vibrant and fiery dress, and it broke her heart to see her glum expression.

With a nod, Amy simply left Korra in Junichi's care, knowing that she would know just what to do with the injured, crippled victor.

"I know just where to take you…" she indicated, stepping behind Korra's wheelchair and giving it a push to get them moving. "But in the meantime… what's on your mind?"  
"Everything," Korra shook her head, "less than 24 hours ago I was fighting for my life against a crazed, deranged guy who looked like he was going through withdrawals of some kind. Now I'm here, and my legs are practically useless. Everything that I've ever lived for was a lie."

"Why did you volunteer for the games?" Junichi asked calmly, leading Korra down a set of halls and elevators that she was not aware existed.

"The usual District 2 excuses, mostly," Korra admitted, "fame, glory, that sort of thing."

"Well then…" a smirk appeared on the corner of Junichi's lips, "I think you'll like what I am about to show you."


	31. Chapter 31: The Hall of the Heroes

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: _Korra's physical anguish might be prominent, but her mental anguish is cutting her even deeper, especially since it's feeding off of her current physical disabilities. Luckily Junichi is basically the closest thing these poor victors get to an actual therapist, and she's good at what she does. The games have basically destroyed Korra at this point, and she's realizing that just now. We also get to learn what her middle name is in this chapter._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 31: The Hall of the Heroes**

Junichi took the tired victor into a large hallway lined with statues, walking past most of them while humming a little tune. Korra recognized it as the same one that Saki had sung in the arena. She had suspected that it was a tune from District 12, but with someone from the Capitol knowing the tune, it made her question it further in her mind.

"What is this place?" Korra couldn't help but ask.

"This is called the Hall of the Heroes," Junichi explained, "this is where victors from all 93 Hunger Games are honored and remembered."  
Korra nodded to acknowledge that she had heard the blue-haired woman speak, but otherwise remained deep in thought, listening to Junichi's resumed tune, or thinking about the other memorable tributes that had died—that would be all but forgotten. She wanted to remember them—and Jun's tune reminded her of none other than Sacajawea.

"Did you know her?" she asked, craning her neck to try and glance at Junichi behind her.

"Know who?" Junichi glanced down at Korra,

"Sacajawea Kwan," Korra muttered.

"I did not know her as well as I would have liked," Jun admitted, "but I knew her. She was a good woman—and so are you, Korra. You are kind and strong and selfless and compassionate. Panem needs more people like you around."  
"No they don't" Korra sighed, "I'm a sadist and a murderer… I volunteered for the games out of a desire for nothing more than personal satisfaction and self-achievement."  
Junichi stopped wheeling Korra as they reached a certain statue. Turning the younger girl so she could see the pedestal and inscription, and Korra realized that it was an image of her, with her sword in one hand, and a District 2 seal in her other hand, which was outstretched above her. The pedestal bore the name "Korra Francisco" and a large number 93.

"And how do you feel now?" Junichi asked, to counter Korra's complaint. For a moment Korra was silent, but then after a second she turned away.

"I feel worthless and miserable!" Korra cried out. "I've never felt so weak and pathetic in all my life. My legs are all but amputated, almost everyone I've ever cared for in my life is now dead, I can't do anything by myself anymore, and what do I have to show for all of that torture? A stupid statue and a fancy crown? Jun, I don't want any of this. I just want to be able to walk again… more than anything…" Korra leaned forward and softly started sobbing into her hands. "…to be able to stand… on my own two feet… like everyone else…"

Junichi stepped in front of Korra, gently taking her hands, mentally cringing at seeing Korra's despaired expression as her green eyes were now tinted red. Korra put her arms around Junichi, and to her slight surprise, Junichi hoisted Korra up onto her feet before wrapping her arms around her, shifting her arms to Korra's back and hips to hold the girl close, but to let her 'stand' (even if her weight was being put onto Junichi's legs). She knew that she could not support her weight when her legs were so fragile, but Junichi had just granted Korra her wish, and in that moment, it meant the world to her.

"You are strong," Junichi repeated, using the hand on Korra's back to softly caress the distressed victor over her dress, "That statue is a symbol of your heroism, even if you do not realize it. Few people would have tried so hard to take the long recovery route instead of the easy fix. Few would stay with a tribute that they knew was on the Gamemaker's hitlist…"  
"How did you know about that?" Korra whimpered,

"I live here," Junichi replied, "I know a lot of things. But, it is for reasons like that, Korra Francisco, that you are one of the strongest women I have met."  
"I'm not a kind person though," she argued, "or compassionate. I murdered that boy… I crushed his skull in. I slashed his partner to death in a panick not too much earlier. She was just a little kid, and I saw her anguished face as I drove my sword through her. Where is the kindness in that, Jun? I don't see it."

"You said yourself," Junichi sighed, "that it was just business. You fought out of desperation, and you prevailed. But… look at how you treated Koshu… look how you treated Victor, and Vivian, and Cobalt, and especially Sacajawea."

"they were my friends though…" Korra protested, "and I—"

"And even when they made fun of you, you laughed with them…" Junichi cut her off, "you were optimistic—you fought to keep your alliance together, and you fought to protect Saki. You are compassionate and selfless, and it showed in the way you so viciously defended those you loved."

Junichi gently sat the larger girl back down, before crouching to Korra's level and putting her fingers under the injured girl's chin.

"I have never seen a stronger or more beautiful woman than the one sitting in front of me." she continued, "Amy Zavala and Aveline Togisala are special to me in their own ways, but you, Korra, are more special to me than any victor I have ever met. I know you will recover—and when you do, you will stand brighter and taller than you ever dreamed of."  
"But until then," Korra moped, "I'm just a pitiful, helpless shadow of my former self. Jun, that statue is a mockery of me. It raises its hand triumphantly, as if I've done something amazing and worth lauding, with its feet firmly planted on the ground and an expression of confidence upon its visage. It depicts me the way the Capitol prefers to envision me—not by who I really am."  
"Does it?" Junichi was admittedly impressed with Korra's eloquence. She wondered where it had come from, because she would have honestly never guessed it herself. "I see a fire in your eyes that that image in front of you also possesses. It holds the same passion in its expression that you do now. It shows your strength, your courage, your passion. You are a beautiful and powerful woman, Korra, and don't you forget it. You still have friends—you have me to add to them too, no less. Clove, Amy… they will be there for you, and so will my brother Delun."

"Can I ask you something?" Korra whispered.

"Anything," Junichi promised,

"Don't tell anyone about this…" tears filled Korra's eyes again.

"Don't tell anyone about what?" Junichi paused before she was practically yanked into an embrace, where Korra sobbed into her shoulder. Junichi shifted to kneel in a more comfortable position, and then simply held the larger, crippled girl where she sat, letting her real feelings out for one of the first times.

Korra was red in the face by the time she actually stopped crying, and her face had not changed colors even by the time Junichi brought her back to the others. This time, Delun was there to see her, and even he seemed to have changed his attitude over the last few weeks.

"Sit tight, Korra," he whispered, "we've just got the interview to do, and then you can rest—Panem knows you've earned it."  
"I can still think of at least 301 other things I'd rather be doing," Korra moaned.

"And I promise that you will have that time," Delun assured her, "It's not like we Capitol folk are incapable of changing, you know! Some of our very own fine victors have been influential on so many of us…" he cocked his head towards a smirking Amy, who exchanged glances with a nearby Clove.

"Then I suppose I should stop stalling," Korra shrugged, "I'll see what happens tonight, but for now… let's do this thing and get it over with."

Since she had spent a bit of extra time in the Hall of the Heroes with Junichi, Korra did not need to wait very long before the fanfare of the Caesar Flickerman show drew to a close.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the man himself announced, "let's all give a round of applause to the victor of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games—Korra Zerlinda Francisco!"

Korra was too proud to have someone else wheel her in, and so she used her own arms to do so. It seemed that Zakuya and Misaha had taken a District 11-style approach with this gown, which, while it covered her legs, left most of her arms bare. As she appeared on stage, the freckled girl's eyes widened as the crowds cheered frantically for her. It was almost as if they were absolutely amazed by the fact that Korra was still alive after everything. Korra mentally chalked it up as one of her achievements, but she knew that she couldn't boast just yet—she had an interview to get through, and recaps of the games to watch without having a panick attack in front of everyone. That was one of those things that, to Korra, seemed easier said than done…


	32. Chapter 32: Crowning the Survivor

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Korra's interview was an interesting one, especially because her trauma kicked in right away and nearly caused a scene. Just because she doesn't quite lose her cool in this chapter doesn't mean it's all sunshine and daisies for our exhausted heroine, however. She's got a whole night in front of her to have to cope with those troubles._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 32: Crowning the Survivor**

Korra knew at once that this was going to be a tedious several minutes for her, especially as Caesar commented on Korra's appearance.

"And would you look at that!" he exclaimed, "Even after all but losing her legs, this is a girl that shows an absolutely INCREDIBLE level of resilience! You cannot knock Korra down, folks! She will get right back up and bounce right back!"

Almost as if on cue, Korra cringed. The recaps of the highlights of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games suddenly showed up on a screen in front of them (and behind them for the audience to watch). Korra actually put her hands on her cheeks, with her fingers covering most of her eyes, only daring to watch the action at all through little more than the cracks in her fingers.

"_Breathe, Korra… breathe…" _Korra told herself repeatedly, _"this is not happening again. This is just a screen with flashy lights that look like the games. It's just a piece of electronics. This is not real… this is not… this… oh hell… oh hell, NO!"_

Perhaps miraculously, no one except for maybe Amy and Clove (who were in the audience) noticed that Korra was nearly panicking, not even Caesar. The scene appeared of Vivian's death, followed shortly after by Saki's, and then the dreaded moment where Garrett and Korra had grappled and attacked each other for survival and victory. By the time it was done, Korra was covering her ears, her head almost in her lap with the way she was bent over clutching it. It was only after the screen shut off and the noises faded that Korra looked up, still breathing frantically.

"A frightening experience for anyone, I'm sure." Caesar spoke dramatically, knowing just how to capture the audience even if his words were utterly inconsiderate towards the poor, horrifically traumatized girl that was sitting at his side.

"And I'm sure she'll be back on her feet and ready to beat everyone up again in no time!" he laughed, "We've seen the games. Korra is strong and invincible, isn't she?"  
"Y-yeah…" Korra stammered, "I won…"  
And that was about all she could really say about it to prevent herself from launching into a malicious rant about how twisted and sadistic all of this was. They didn't even give the poor victor more than a few hours between what was almost always a near-death experience and the time they got paraded around like a caged exotic animal for everyone to ogle at.

"Any thoughts about this, Korra?" Caesar leaned in expectantly. "Surely an invincible champion such as yourself has a few words for your eager fans?"  
Oh, Korra had words out the wazoo and then some. She had to actually bit her gums to keep from just bellowing at the top of her lungs about how desperately she just wanted to be alone and cry right now.

"I'm FUCKING HUNGRY!" she shouted, adding emphasis to her voice to make it seem like she was being playful. She put on a comical grin and then laughed at herself. Besides—there had been a perfectly-timed beep right at her cursing, as if there was some sensor in place waiting to censor such things.

"But seriously," she forced a chuckle, "I haven't eaten properly for about a week now ever since my food supplies stopped coming in. Where the hell were my sponsors?"  
"Ah, but it seems like you didn't even need them, did you?" Caesar reminded her, "here's a girl so clever and capable, even a wheelchair can't slow her down!" The audience laughed at this positive-spin on a joke that Korra didn't really find all that funny. Luckily for her, she managed to shift the subject of conversation until Amy's name came up.  
"She was a good mentor," Korra agreed, managing to stay calm. "so was Clove. I'm not even sure if she'll retire from the mentoring business after this year."  
In truth though, Korra hoped that Clove remained, because if Korra herself was still in this bad of an emotional shape, she felt like she would not be a very satisfactory mentor to anyone.

"Ah, good old Clove Kazera," Caesar sighed dreamily, "it seems like yesterday she was a little youngster sitting on this very throne with her legs barely touching the floor! Ho-ho!"

The audience chuckled, and even Clove cracked a smirk and clapped slowly from the audience. She and Amy were watching Korra intently though, analyzing her expressions and body language for anything that might have seemed out of place. They had already detected a few things that were.

"I think you're leading up to something, Caesar," Korra quipped, "you didn't just bring up last year's victor for no reason, did you?"

"Ah yes!" Caesar exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering where he had been going with all of this, "last year, our hero Amy Zavala said something about how she would bring home a victor the following year! It seems she was successful!"  
"It happens," Korra shrugged, "but isn't this more about me than her? I mean… I'm not Amy's puppet or anything—or anyone's, for that matter…"  
"Someone as strong as you is the one who blazes the trail on her own!" Caesar smirked, "Come, come… tell us more about yourself…"

The remainder of the interview did have Korra more or less walking on thin ice and eggshells as she fiercely controlled herself to prevent having an outburst. The recaps of the games had easily been the worst part, but there were a few touchy subjects that Korra had to deflect for her own sake, and to keep from wanting to panick and/or cry. She figured that she would be doing plenty of crying once she got back to her room, if nothing else.

"So how does this hero feel being back in the arms of the Capitol?" Caesar's next question had been,

"This hero's ready to get her crown, it sounds like." Korra's final quip had been, causing Caesar to beam with excitement. Right as she got ready to contemplate asking if it would ever end, she heard the words that she had been waiting for much sooner than this—because they signified the end of her stage time.

"Then keep those wheels in place, young lady," Caesar's tone clearly indicated a buildup of excitement, "because you know what's coming next! Ladies and Gentlemen… please welcome our very own venerable President Coriolanus Snow!"

As predicted, the audience burst into excited applause as the aged (but still hale) President Snow himself stepped into view and approached Korra. He only stopped once he was in front of the young victor, and the crown from his hands was placed upon her head.

"Congratulations, Ms. Francisco," The soft, commanding tone he was so well-known for resonating with Korra once again as he spoke his usual words, "your fight is over, and your sacrifices have been worthy for this unparalleled achievement. It is well-earned and well-deserved."

He turned to the crowds again and spoke. "This fine woman escaped the hands of death," he stated, "and is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the people of our great nation. She deserves nothing short of your approbation for her deeds."

Korra did not know how she felt about Snow at this particular moment. On one hand, he was the reason that the Capitol perpetuated these sadistic Hunger Games, and why they had gone on for 93 years, but on the other hand, he had a powerful and manipulative way of making himself seem so much more kind and caring, just as he had done now. There had been no dark looks or muttered words beneath his breath like Korra had heard happened to some victors; it seemed like he genuinely liked Korra. On the other hand, she might have just been too exhausted to think it through all the way, but she did know that career tributes and districts generally had a very positive relationship with the Capitol, unlike outer districts like 11 and 12, where gripping poverty and a disgruntled citizenry made them seem much more resilient against the Capitol and much more likely to rebel.

Time almost seemed to slow down for Korra as she thought about and contemplated all of this. She was one of only 93 people that had survived those horrifying arenas, and she was fairly certain that unless there were some 110-year-olds running around, that many of the oldest victors had already gone the way of the world for one reason or another, which brought that already insignificant number down even more so. Only that many people could truly understand Korra's plight.

Her mind was taken off of all of that a moment later though, when the Capitol started cheering and chanting her name just as they did with each and every victor before her.

Korra! Korra! Korra! Korra!

"This moment here," Caesar took Korra's hand, raising the chair she was seated in to imitate standing and to bring her face nearly level with his own (since Korra was in no condition to properly stand at the moment) as she faced the crowds, "this is a moment you never forget. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the moment where a tribute becomes a victor!"


	33. Chapter 33: Whispering Rebels

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Incidentally, the whole 'Korra in a wheelchair' thing was actually a coincidence rather than a shout-out to a popular TV series. Her legs were destroyed, and since she did not want them amputated and replaced with Capitol prosthetics (nor did she want to be a double amputee of any kind), a wheelchair was the only other viable option as she takes the road to recovery. That said... Saki's plan and those whispering Rebels aren't through with Korra yet either._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 33: Whispering Rebels**

Shortly after Korra's interview, she helped wheel herself to the elevator which then took her two floors up back to her apartment for the night. The first order of business for her was to eat—a lot—and then she planned to go straight to her room. The Avoxes had hardly finished laying out the vast assortment of edibles and confections before Korra began loading up her plate and eating like a downright savage. Amy was not quite sure what Korra tried to say through most of it, but was fairly certain that she was trying to convey to the others that it had been a long time since she had properly eaten, and that it felt wonderful to actually be able to eat real food again.

On the other hand, Korra was considerably embarrassed by what had to happen afterwards. Since she was disabled from the waist down, she could not properly dress or undress herself, nor should she shower properly, and so she had to be assisted by Misaha and Zakuya (primarily the former, she being the same sex as Korra). There was no actual problem during this process, but Korra did feel rather humiliated by the time she was set back in her chair in a more comfortable outfit.

"What's the problem?" Amy tilted her head as Korra complained, "It's not like they haven't seen each one of us naked several times before, you know…"  
"That's not what bugs me," Korra admitted after they had gotten her comfortably into a breezy red T-shirt and matching pajama pants, "it bugs me that I can't even perform such a basic everyday function on my own! I can at least lift myself out of this chair, but still… it's embarrassing—it's degrading."

"Look, kid…" Amy sighed, "you can talk to me about this kind of thing. A lot of horrible things happened to you in that arena, and no one here is trying to make any light of it. Zakuya and Misaha are helping you because they don't want to see what I saw when you tried to get around yourself. It's not a matter of pride—it's a matter of helping someone who needs help. Hell, Korra-*I* need help, even. I learned that I needed it when I was fighting my way through that treacherous maze the previous year."  
"But you've got your legs just fine," Korra interjected, "and you seem stable."  
"I seem stable, but that doesn't mean I am," Amy shook her head, "see, Korra—my games went by fast. I know that they were the same length as yours, but everything seemed to just happen so quickly. My relationship with Marcus, and his swift and unpleasant death added to my pain. Everything was thrown at me all at once, and now? Well, now I don't really feel anything. It's hard, Korra. I see you and your vivid emotions and it makes me long for the time when I used to be able to feel like that. I don't laugh very much anymore; I don't cry very much anymore. I come off as tough and indifferent and people think that it makes me strong, when in reality it's one of the only things I can feel."  
"But even then," Korra frowned, "look at you: you can at least put on a façade. That can't be said about me panicking and crying all the damn time. I mean—not to try and trivialize your trauma or anything—I know you went through as much hell as anyone else… it's just that you're able to hold it all in while I'm over here crying like a helpless baby."

"I think I realize what your problem is, Korra," Amy sighed, "you take this whole weakness thing too seriously. Caesar might be an ass most of the time, but now and again he'll say something profound. Think of it this way: would you rather be remembered as Korra the victor that succumbed to her injuries and lived the rest of her life in a wheelchair? Or would you rather be remembered as Korra the Resilient, fighting back against your crippling disabilities until you recovered and were able to stand again? That's the part of Caesar's remarks that stood out to me. As much as he irks me too, I want to prove him right. I want you to be able to get back up and fight."

"That's easier said than done when I'm being haunted by images of Saki, Vivian, Alayna, Garrett, Victor, and Koshu." Korra shook her head. "Amy, they feel so real—and it scares the piss out of me. Please tell me this is normal for victors…"  
"It is, actually." Amy shrugged, "you'll get used to it after a while, but the nightmares will never really stop, and there will be plenty of times that you will wake up in a cold sweat and sit bolt upright after issuing a bloodcurdling scream or two."  
"Dammit, Amy," Korra shook her head, "if you're trying to make me less tense, you're going about doing so in the complete wrong way."  
"I'm not trying to make you feel comfortable, kid," Amy shook her head, "I'm trying to wake you up to the nasty reality that these games are. Just because you serve the Capitol with all your might, mind, and strength doesn't mean that they feel the same towards you. You'll get the same so-called fame and glory that everyone else gets, and then they'll throw you on your sweet little ass and let you fester in your own trauma and misery until the next Hunger Games comes up and they drag you back to the Capitol to mentor two more little innocent schmucks that will probably go to their deaths."

"Is that…" Korra stammered, gripping the arms of her wheelchair, "are you… are you fucking serious right now, Amy?"

"Kid, two things: first off—why the hell would I lie to you? Second: look around you at any of the other victors you've met: Brutus Gunn, Layla Aranai, Enobaria Taos, Clove Kazera, Kaede Raiden, Katsuo Raiden… me, even. Do any of us seem terribly happy with our so-called 'rich-and-famous' lot in life?"  
"I… you… no, you… actually… don't really." Korra blathered, her cheeks flushing.

"Korra…" a soft, deeper voice emanated from behind her, causing Korra to swivel her wheelchair around, revealing the owner of said voice to be Delun. "…now that you're back and in one piece for the most part, there is something we need to speak to you about."

"Delun?" He still looked the same, but his demeanor was different. Korra was not slow to realize this.

"Do you want me to be cheery and ditzy again?" he chuckled, "because if you want me to raise my voice and pinch your cheeks I will, but otherwise, this is important."  
He made sure the door was closed before he continued, kneeling down in front of Korra to talk in a hushed whisper.

"Do you remember what Sacajawea Kwan spoke about concerning the Mockingjay?"

Korra's eyes widened. "you were in cahoots with her?"

"In a way, yes." Delun confessed, "her, Amy, Clove, Aveline, Junichi, and many others were all in on this. To cut the formalities short—you are perfect for what they call "The Mockingjay"."

"But what does that entail?" Korra tilted her head. "and what do I have to do with it?"

"The Districts need someone who can relate to them all." Amy explained, "from the loyal hearts in District 2 all the way down to the anarchistic rebels in District 12. You proved in your arena that you were more than capable of bringing people of such different walks together. Victor and Vivian didn't dare attack Saki when you were around, even though we could see the urge to plastered all over their faces. Saki was willing to follow you to death, but even she knew better than to try and turn on your fellow careers when you were around."  
"I still don't follow," Korra confessed.

"What we're saying," Delun stated, "is that you exude authority, Korra. People look to you as a leader because you are strong and you know how to keep people together. Whether it's from fear or charisma, or some combination of both, we all noticed it—even a Capitol ditz like me. Let that sink in for a moment or two."

Korra had not felt anything one way or another on the subject until Delun had pointed it out. Learning that Delun was a rebel against his own people was an interesting thought, and suddenly Junichi's behavior made sense to her.

"So what do I have to do?" Korra looked confused.

"Right now… get some sleep." Delun suggested, "it's not like we're rioting tomorrow—we're sending you and your fine team home! Just… be ready to receive further information as our Capitol operatives obtain it. We will be keeping in touch."  
"How long will all of this take?" Korra tilted her head."  
"Honestly… months; perhaps even years." Delun admitted, "it's something that needs to happen with as few casualties as possible, and so we're taking minimal risks."  
"Gotcha." Korra nodded, "um, thanks, I guess. I should probably get some sleep. Fuck all kinds of today, man. I'm beat."  
The others gave Korra her privacy, and as she hoisted herself into bed, using her arms to shift her legs comfortably (even though they still felt almost numb) before closing her eyes. Not even 24 hours ago she had been fighting for her life, and now here she was talking about revolution? Whoever was behind this whole thing certainly had things set up for her. Still—she would be glad to finally go home.


	34. Chapter 34: A Wondrous Reunion

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Rebellion is coming, and while there have been rumors that I was/am going to jump to the 100th Hunger Games after I finish this one, that is not to say that I won't ever do 94-99 (or maybe even others). The rebellion is in a "seed" phase at this point, and so there's a lot more to cover. In the meantime, Korra's dealing with more of her post-traumatic stress disorder and trying to adjust to her new life a bit._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 34: A Wondrous Reunion**

Korra found herself surrounded by the same rocky terrain that she had encountered in the arena, her legs bound or unwilling to move, and a sword in her hand. In front of her were Saki and a one-armed Vivian, their expressions fearful and their forms unmoving. She felt a voice behind her.

"Kill them… or I will kill you."  
It sounded like Garrett, but for whatever sadistic reason, Korra's twisted mind had decided to make it take the form of President Snow. Korra looked down at the sword in her hands, and Saki spoke.

_"I was never meant to return, Korra."_ She said, _"Vivian deserves better…"_

Cautiously, Korra stepped towards her, her sword drawn, before closing her eyes and thrusting forward. Instead of hearing Saki scream or feeling a brief interruption in her thrust as the blade met Saki's flesh, she was met with that horrifying feeling of falling after not realizing there was a ledge or a step somewhere. She felt her face slam against rock, and felt her arms and her legs do the same as she tumbled down the jagged cliff, before naturally, she woke up screaming so loudly that within 3 minutes everyone in the apartment: Clove, Amy, Delun, and the stylist pair—had raced in to find out what had happened. Naturally, they were skeptical upon seeing that all that had happened was that Korra was tangled in her sheets, probably panicking from being unable to move her legs.

Zakuya and Misaha looked almost comical, given that they were devoid of any makeup or clothing apart from their undergarments. As if it was fitting, Delun's pajamas were a hot shade of pink, while Clove and Amy were in shorts and T-shirts, Clove's shirt bearing a circle with a pattern resembling a crescent moon and waves on it. All in all, the skeptic looks of these five individuals would have been funny at any other time, except that Korra had panicked, and when Clove flipped on the lights, Korra cowered, still hyperventilating even as her eyes came into focus.

With a simple gesture, Delun dismissed the weary stylist pair, who returned to their rooms to resume their beauty sleep, shaking their heads without a sound.

"Korra." Despite Clove and Amy's attachment to Korra, it was Delun's hand that stopped the panicking thrashing girl. He took her arm and clasped her wrist with both of his hands. To Korra, his hands felt almost like Junichi's, except perhaps not quite as soft. It certainly cleared any doubt that these two were certainly siblings. His whole air seemed to have changed.

"Korra…" he whispered, "it was just a nightmare. You are safe now…"  
Oddly, these words seemed to work on Korra, the panicked girl slowly calming down, although her breathing was still swift and somewhat frantic. Slowly, she rubbed her eyes and realized where she was. Those last two weeks had been frighteningly real, but so was her current situation. She was out of the arena, never to return. Even then though, she knew her wounds were fresh, and that even Delun's therapy would not be more than a temporary cleaning of such gaping wounds.

Slowly, Korra turned her head towards the pink-clad man, sighing in relief as water congregated in her lower eyelids. "You seem so much like Junichi now…" she whispered, remembering how comforting that sweet little spiky-haired woman had been the night of her victory.

"I figured I could take a few good points from my sister," he chuckled, letting go of Korra's wrist and softly ruffling her hair. Most people enjoyed getting their hair combed, brushed, or played with as a form of comfort, and Korra was no exception. "obviously this whole revolution thing we keep talking about isn't going to happen overnight though. It will probably take several years, actually."  
"That might not be enough time though," Clove indicated, "at least, if you're waiting for Korra's PTSD to go away. It won't ever go away. Look at me 19 years later…"

"It's not that," Delun shook his head, "that's just something that we're going to have to try and cope with—no offense. I've been humbled enough to know that I'm probably not familiar with the first thing that you kids have gone through, so I won't pretend that I do. On the other hand, we're here to try and save lives; not end them, and so it will almost certainly necessitate lengthy planning."  
"I still need to get my own life back in shape," Korra sighed as she leaned on her arms. "I still can't do a damn thing with my legs—not that I feel like I need them to be a proper leader, but obviously if or when the war happens, I want to be fighting with people. I don't want to be like the Capitol elite who command their legions of Peacekeepers while they sit on their thrones. If I'm going to be a leader, I want them to know that my life is just as important or expendable as theirs. I feel like a true leader would never subject her soldiers to tasks or events that she herself would not be willing to perform or be a part of herself. I hope that does not present a problem."  
"It does obviously put you at a higher risk of injury or death," Amy suggested, "but we've got a while to iron out these kinks. Get some rest, Korra. We're going home in a few hours…"

It was easier said than done, but Korra did manage to drift back to sleep, her impressions and feelings towards Delun much more positive than she had ever suspected they would be.

The next morning went just as suspected. Misaha and Zakuya helped get Korra dressed for the day, giving her appreciative smiles after they were finished, even if Korra's clothes were just casual. Korra wasn't much of one for shorts, but the 'games had made her accustomed a bit to being barefooted, something she would miss while her legs and ankles healed.

Because of its proximity to the Capitol, the trip home to District 2 was not very long, and so the three victors (and Delun) mostly spent it talking about District 2, the Capitol, the card game they were playing (which included at least one incident where Clove swore loudly as she discarded a Queen of Spades), and about being a victor in general.

"I guess Amy is right," Delun also commented after their 6th game had ended and Korra began shuffling the cards for the next round, "she brought home another victor the following year, and that means I get to go on tour again this year, I guess."  
"It'll be good for you," Amy quipped, looking at her cards as Korra passed the hands out, "get a good idea of what Panem's all like during what's otherwise the downtime between the games."  
"Oh, I have no doubt that I'll enjoy it and learn a thing or two… but I know what the purpose of these tours is, even if we cover it up with the festivals and celebrations."

Korra sighed. "I wonder if I'll be out of this wheelchair by then?" she mumbled aloud as she played a card on the table.

"think of how cool it'd be though," Clove tried to reassure her, "you'd be the first one since Miriam Luxio 50 years ago to have your tour in a wheelchair."  
"What happened to her?" Korra asked.

"she got her legs broken, and I think suffered paralysis for a while," Clove nodded, "40th games, so long before my time, but her tour was legendary. Maybe you'll meet her in District 1 in six months."

"Whoa, is Clove trying to keep things positive for me?" Korra couldn't help but quip, "this is a first."

"And it'll be the last if you're not careful." Clove warned, "you don't want your arm broken, do you?"  
Korra flinched, putting her arms across her chest. "Clove… that…" her smile had vanished, and Clove knew that she had taken it too far.

"Sorry, kid." She apologized, "I'm an ass sometimes. Anyone who knows me knows it."  
"It's fine… it's just…" Korra stammered, "it's a little too soon for that, okay?"

"Fair enough," Clove nodded, "my bad…"  
The rest of the trip was with little to no incident and soon Korra was greeted with throngs of cheering crowds hailing their new victor. Korra was fairly tired after everything that had gone down in the last few weeks, and so there was only really one person she wanted to see: her brother Kada.

Thankfully, he was waiting for her, his long auburn hair being one of the telltale traits that made him stand out from other men.

For a moment, he said nothing as he threw his arms around his younger sister, and the two orphaned siblings remained silent before the brother finally spoke.

"I'm glad to see you again, sister." He whispered, "I didn't sleep nearly at all those last two nights as I saw what went down. I wasn't even sure they'd be able to save you."  
"Well…" Korra sighed, snuggling her face into Kada's warm shoulders, "I'm alive… at least for now…"


	35. Chapter 35: A Victor's Concerns

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter gives a nice little insight into how Korra's been recovering over the last few months, and also shows just how much she and her brother resemble each other. There are probably not too many chapters left, since the tour and the epilogue will probably be covered fairly quickly what with the stops I have in mind, and with what (and who) Korra deals with after the tour._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 35: A Victor's Concerns**

Much to Korra's dismay, 6 months was not quite enough time for Korra's legs to heal. She could stand up for a few moments at a time, and even limp a little, but her legs were not ready to carry her around the way they used to before the games. Still, for Korra this was progress, and so she would take what she could get in that regard.

Still—Korra could dress herself again, and walk from her bed to her wheelchair without falling. To get around her house, she actually had two wheelchairs—one that she had at the top of the stairs, and one for the bottom. She would slowly climb or descend the stairs firmly gripping the handrails in either direction, and this system worked for her. At this point her legs did not need bandaged up, but she was prescribed some kind of medicine that did something to her bones or something. She preferred not to think about it, and had deliberately not listened to very much of what the Capitol doctors had said or explained about it, and so instead she just dealt with Clove making playful quips about how they had to shoot themselves up every so often.

On the other hand, Korra knew that there was no putting off the inevitable, and so she shrugged all of these thoughts off and focused more on the here and now.

"You ready for the big day?" Kada ruffled Korra's hair. It wasn't like they had any other family—Kada and Korra had been orphaned for years. Korra shook her head.

"I'm as ready as I'm ever going to get," she shrugged, "I hope Misaha and Zakuya have something good going on for me this time—unless you want to masquerade as me?"

"Come on, I don't look THAT much like you, do I?" Kada teased.

"It's the hair." Korra grabbed some of Kada's long auburn strands and tugged them playfully. "and we're about the same height—and your arms are almost as big as mine…"

"My legs are bigger," Kada retorted.

"Yeah, because you've been able to use them for the last 6 months," Korra snapped. "I could beat you in an arm wrestle right here and now though."  
"Is that a challenge?" Kada tilted his head, staring Korra in the eyes.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't have challenged you, you pansy." Korra retorted, wheeling herself towards the table. "you, me, both hands, right now."  
Korra easily overtook Kada with her left hand, but once both of them were using their dominant hands, they got a lot more into it. Korra had a claim to prove, while Kada had his dignity to defend. However, his face began dropping as Korra's hand began pulling Kada's arm down towards the table.

"HA!" Korra laughed as she triumphed over a slightly pink-faced Kada, "bested by your own little sister! It's a good thing no one else saw it. Mom and dad might have disowned you."

"You can't tell anyone about this then," Kada put a finger to Korra's lips, only to have her playfully snap at it with her teeth.

"Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?" she waggled her eyebrows. Kada made her happy. They disagreed on a few things that Kada usually avoided ever bringing up as a result (especially given Korra's sometimes erratic behavior), but for the most part, they appeared to get along well.

Before Kada could respond, the doorbell rang, and Korra knew who it was.

"Wanna grab that for me?" she requested, "it's probably Delun."  
Sure enough, Delun, Misaha, and Zakuya were waiting for Korra at the door when Kada opened it. Delun actually fell for it for a moment.

"Korra!" he exclaimed, "You're stan—oh! Goodness, my apologies!" his hand went to his forehead, "Kada Francisco, right?  
"Yup," Kada shrugged, "my sister ain't quite walking around, but it's amazing how much she's recovered. I'll go grab her."

A moment later Korra wheeled into view, even rising shakily to her feet to give her escort and stylists all hugs. She was always a very physical person, and enjoyed human contact.

"Dress me." she sat back down, widening her arms as if to submit and say she was ready to get prepped for the crews and cameras that would be waiting for her between her home and the train station. The 93rd Victory Tour was about to begin.

Misaha and Zakuya were skilled and efficient in bathing and dressing Korra, primping her up to a slightly higher standard than she was normally used to, but in the end, the outfit they had put her in spoke volumes about their talents, and the outfit was comfortable enough to Korra, who had to model it.

The oddest part about the blackish, combat-style getup was the cape that flowed down her back, especially since she was still in a wheelchair, and would likely be for the entirety of her tour unless she somehow finished recovering in the next 13 days. She had seen Amy's outfit the year before, and this year the tiny girl was outfitted in something similar as she greeted Korra at the front door of her house.

"No Clove this year?" Korra tilted her head.

"Pfft, I tried for hours to shake her off," Amy shook her head, "no luck. She's already at the train."

Korra knew that this was a lie, but even she chuckled at it before cracking her knuckles. It was time to meet the crowds.

Stepping outside of her home was very similar to the greeting she had received after stepping off the train 6 months ago after she had won the 93rd Hunger Games. There was definitely a 'District 2 pride' thing going on here, and it was probably more than usual considering that District 2 had just won back-to-back Hunger Games for the 3rd time in its history. Korra wished that she could walk properly, and so despite her contented face, there was a glint of melancholy embedded within her expression that only Amy really noticed.

Whatever the case, they made it to the train without further incident, Korra waving goodbye to Kada one last time for two weeks as she toured Panem. In truth, she was scared about many of the stops: 1, 6, 11, and 12 were the ones that particularly came to mind. Vivian had been right up there with Marcus Romero and Chel Colorado from the last couple of years in terms of likeability, and Korra knew she was going to get emotional. Other districts, such as '6, '11, and even '12, worried Korra because of who it reminded her of. District 6 housed Garrett and Alayna, while District 11 had been the home of the frightening duo that had slain Victor and that had made Vivian an amputee.

Amy noticed Korra's sinking face once they were on the train and flying far away from District 2.

"Cheer up, kid." Amy took Korra's hand, "yeah, there are some parts of the tour that are going to suck. I guess I should just get that out of the way right now. But do you know what else?"

"Hmm," Korra glanced up at Amy, and at Clove behind her.

"You're going to meet my people—our people." Amy smirked, "other victors just like me and you and all the others back home. We're a crazy lot."  
"That's an understatement," Clove interrupted.

"But the thing is—" Amy continued, "is that we also know each other, and most of us watch out for our own. We've all been there trembling to hold back tears on that stage for one reason or another, or staring into the large holographic faces of the boy or girl who killed our best friend or whatever else. I'm not trying to trivialize it or anything, but as soon as the speeches are over you're off to the Justice Building to party it up."  
"And unless you're more antisocial than Everdeen from '12 the year after mine," Clove piped up again, "you'll meet a few and probably even befriend a few. The fact that she's got friends means that pretty much anyone can warm up to you—and you're a very personable girl, Korra—much more so than I ever was, anyways…"

"It's okay if I'm a little nervous though, right?" Korra's eyes darted around, "especially if you all are really serious about that whole 'Mockingjay' thing, yeah?"

"We've all been a bit nervous before," Amy reminded her, "knowing you, Delun won't even have to write your speeches. Speaking of which, where'd he go? We need a 4th for Red Maiden…"

"I'll go get him," Clove stood up, stepping out of the compartment for a moment, only to return a moment later with Delun in tow, carrying a pack of cards.

"I heard my name." he grinned. "and it's not like we've got anything better to do in the meantime, yes?"

Even Korra couldn't help but crack a smirk at that one. Delun had a point—there was no reason to stress over something she could not prevent, and so the only thing left to do at this point would be to calm back down and let it happen, come what may.


	36. Chapter 36: Gold and Glitter

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This Victory Tour is going to be comparatively short, simply because Korra's major stops are confined to a couple of districts, and her mind is elsewhere. Also, we get to meet a victor that shares something in common with Korra that none of the other 91 victors ever did, and we get a reminder of Saki's song, among other things._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 36: Gold and Glitter**

There were countless times when Korra wondered what went on in the heads of Zakuya and Misaha as they designed Korra's victory tour outfits for each and every district. Delun had not been lying when he had said that they were the best of the best.

They were both silent as they dressed up Korra for their stop in District 1 today, and Korra was not entirely sure what to think about it this early on. She threw all of those thoughts out the window by the time they had finished dressing her.

"I've never seen so much pink and glitter in my life." Korra exclaimed, "Seriously—why pink?"

As always, Zakuya and Misaha did not answer, but did chuckle to themselves. Korra fluttered her long skirts out and found that she actually thought the dress was rather pretty. Ultimately, she smiled and thanked her stylists for a job well done.

Of course, in District 1, they were thrilled to see Korra, especially with how she was dressed. As Korra wheeled herself out onto the platform, she noticed sentiments for Vivian that she did not expect. It was as if the girl had been unprecedentedly popular, and it made Korra wonder if this had been a development that had come from the games or if Vivian had just been really popular before then.

As for Cobalt, Korra could simply say that he was her ally, and as she approached the stage and listened to the mayor give a little speech, she glanced out at Cobalt and Vivian's families—both of them had siblings and both parents alive.

Soon the mayor completed his speech, and Korra wheeled herself up to the center, rising from her chair and gripping the sides of the podium before she spoke. She was not nervous, and the expression upon her visage was one of genuine sorrow and empathy. Korra really felt for these families, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do that would ever fully console them.

"I do not expect your sympathy, and I do not expect your praise," she stated at one point, "but know this: Cobalt Efran was my friend and ally, and Vivian… Vivian was the type of hero that Panem needs more of. She was the Marcus Romero or the Chel Colorado of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games. She was a smart, amiable hero who let nothing ever drag her down. Even after losing an arm, she kept on fighting. Vivian Nelson was a fearless role model that even I aspire to become like. She was skilled at what she did, but more importantly, she was cheerful and her will could not be broken, even in the final throes of her life as she greeted death face to face."

Korra's speech continued, and she was choosy about her words, not wanting to say something that might come off as rebellious. Sure she did not think that such things would cause district-wide riots in a place as loyal as District 1, but she could not take any chances. She had to hold the status quo, despite her hatred of the Capitol wanting little more than to burst out and express itself.

She was a little watery-eyed by the time she was escorted into the Justice Building, but she managed to retain her composure and not break down.  
"This is your party, kid," Amy quipped, patting Korra's shoulder, "take a look around, meet some friends, find some old victors to talk to. You've earned it."

Korra did not actually have to look for very long or even look very hard. Within less than 2 minutes, an aged woman most likely in her mid-60s with a bottle of alcohol stepped right up to her and grinned at Korra, almost as if she recognized her from somewhere.

"How's it going, '93?" she grinned, flashing a surprisingly white set of teeth, and Korra merely tilted her head, an eyebrow disappearing into her flyaway bangs.

"Do… do I know you?"  
"Miriam Luxio," the woman introduced herself, seating herself next to Korra's wheelchair, "40th Hunger Games. I like the chair, kid. It makes me proud to know I'm not alone anymore."  
"What do you mean?" Despite the woman's age, she seemed perfectly able to walk wherever she pleased, and, while she was carrying a cane, she did not seem to use it very much. "you look like you can walk just fine to me."  
"Oh, I can," Miriam smirked, "but when I was your age and on tour half a century ago, my legs got jacked up real nasty, and I opted to take the wheelchair just as you did. I couldn't even walk proper till about 2 months AFTER my tour. To put it simply, you're the first and only victor apart from me to ever rock the wheelchair on your victory tour."

"I don't exactly think it's a good thing," Korra frowned.

"Why not?" Miriam raised an eyebrow, "I was always proud of my title… '40 was the only one who ever did it… now I've got to say only '40 and '93 ever did."

At once, Korra realized what Sacajawea's verse had meant.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree,  
where legends are told… of victor '93.  
Strange things did happen here; no stranger would it be,  
if we met, at midnight in the Hanging Tree._

Perhaps this would be one of her legends. Perhaps the very thoughts she sought to repress could be the beginning of her making Panemian history.

"Why the numbers?" Korra asked, "is that really the only way you remember the victors?"  
"More or less," Miriam shrugged, "I've long since been desensitized to the notion of violence and even of people. The games will do that to you."

"Don't I know it," Korra sighed.

"But hey," Miriam interrupted her again, "shit's going to happen no matter what, kid. The most we can do is make the best of it and screw the rest of it."  
It was not exactly a cure-all solution for Korra, but she shrugged and took it for what it was worth. The rest of the night went fairly smoothly, and eventually Miriam even softened Korra up to the idea of having a drink or two. One drink led to another, and the wild encouragement from Miriam and Clove (as well as another alcoholic District 1 victor named Nailah) helped Korra eventually slip into a comically drunken stupor. Eventually this got to the point where she fell unconscious, but luckily for Korra, this was apparently a normal thing for victors to do.

When she woke up, she was back on the train, heading presumably to District 3. On the nightstand nearby were a couple of bottles with a note that was only a few words in length.

"_Ask Dezna Meraxa in District 6 about Red Gold."  
~Miriam Luxio~_

District 6—not a place Korra wanted to think about any time soon. Luckily she was able to take her mind off of it as Delun practically burst in to remind her that today their stop would be in District 3. Korra could live with that. She might not have known Argenta very well, but Koshu had been her friend, and she wanted to make sure that that was made clear.

The outfit that Zakuya and Misaha put her in was unsurprisingly cool. Consisting of a loose, breezy black suit, it almost reminded Korra of a simpler version of the parade outfit the District 3 tributes had worn that year, except instead of green, the lights on her clothes were white and gold, and were slightly less flashy. Korra felt like that would be for the better, not wanting people to get distracted by her dress while she was giving her speech.

Korra's words were simple but sincere. The passion that fuelled most of her speech was as present here as it had been when she had been giving commands in the arena, and her respect for Koshu as not only a tribute, but as a person, had the citizenry of District 3 applauding her when all was said and done. It seemed that more people understood that she was not the enemy, and that made her job easier. Maybe they were in on her being the Mockingjay. There did seem to be a rebellious feel to the place that didn't pass over Korra's head.

All in all, Korra left District 3 in good spirits, and her journey to and in District 4 was similar. She did not know either of the tributes near as well as she had known Koshu, but the nights were devoid of nightmares, and the people of District 4 seemed very mellow and carefree by comparison. For a district often called 'careers', they didn't seem to harbor any strong loyalty to the Capitol the way Districts 1 or 2 did. The beautiful beaches, fresh, crisp air, and overall positive attitude seen by the inhabitants of this place marked it as one Korra would want to see again.

Perhaps most curious of all, however, was a girl that bore a striking resemblance to Korra herself, seen among the crowds. Korra saw her several times that night, meaning either she was becoming schizophrenic (which seemed highly unlikely), or the girl was real. Before she could cross paths with her though, she found herself and her team being escorted back to the train that evening. After all… the Victory Tour had to go on.


	37. Chapter 37: Awkward Encounters

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter kind of drops something of a bomb regarding Clove, but part of the fun is the mystery behind it. Also, Korra has to deal with seeing things and people she would rather not see, and the Victory Tour continues. Only a few chapters left._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 37: Awkward Encounters**

The night before District 5 did have Korra waking up in a cold sweat once again, panicking from another trauma attack, this time of Alayna. The youngster was fleeing from Korra, who was aggressively chasing her before throwing her sword through her back, the same way that she had done with those wicked Night Witches. Korra understood that business was business and that it was just the name of the game, but she still couldn't shake the fact that she felt like she had killed a small child in cold blood, even if she was only 4 years that girl's senior.

As Korra lay awake in her bed as the train sped towards District 5, Korra's mind wandered back to that mysterious girl she had seen. Maybe it had been the alcohol, but she had looked like Korra's doppelganger and she had not gone away.

"I've got a question," Korra asked Delun after being styled up for District 5, wearing a glitzy, technicolored dress.

"Fire when ready," Delun tossed a pair of dice Clove's way, glancing at the wheelchair-bound victor.

"Did you notice a girl that resembled me last night in District 4?" Korra raised an eyebrow.  
"I noticed her," Delun admitted, "Lilac Durango, older sister of the late tribute Iris Durango from the 91st Hunger Games. She's got an older sister named Jasmine who looks a little like you except with tanner skin and slightly lighter hair."  
"What is she like?" It was good to know that Korra wasn't just hallucinating with that mysterious girl, but that didn't answer who this girl was. Was she a staunch Capitol loyalist, or a wild revolutionary?

"I'm not sure," Delun admitted, "District 4 has always been hard to read."

"Good to know I'm not the only one to think of that," Korra smiled.

The stop in District 5 was fairly uneventful, much like the one in District 4. The people here were quieter and gave off a more mysterious vibe than their District 4 cousins, but that behavior was at least a bit constant, unlike the erratic, carefree behavior of so many from '4.

Regardless of the tributes though, District 5 was usually a popular stop for any victor, because of the dazzling light show they always put on in the evenings. Tributes from districts such as '1 or '9, which had higher alcohol consumptions, found that getting drunk and watching the show made it seem that much more interesting, while tributes from districts that used lots of wild drugs, such as '2 or '6, found that they had a similar effect.

Soon, however, the time came for the stop that Korra dreaded, and sure enough, that evening was filled with nightmares of her falling off cliffs or being chased by Garrett, who sometimes caught her and started smashing her bones again. It was Korra's worst nightmare revisited again and again, and her screams kept the others awake for at least an hour.

This of course, just added to Korra's anguish.

"Look," she stuttered, "I'm s-sorry… I… everything… it all feels so real. I still feel like I'm being attacked."  
"It's never as easy as letting go of the past, is it?" Amy raised an eyebrow.  
"I want to let go of the past!" Korra pleaded, "but the past doesn't want to let go of me!"

Amy sighed as the others apart from Clove all shuffled back out again. "Look, kid—I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm not saying that you're right. I tell things exactly as I see them. You've got what we simply call "Victors' Syndrome".  
"Victors' Syndrome?" Korra tilted her head,

"It's a nasty little bitch that ravages your mind for life," Clove explained, "it's basically a specific form of PTSD that affects every victor who ever went into and then crawled out of the arena. Even with those parameters though, we still don't know a damn thing about how it works other than what Junichi has mentioned or tricks we've found on our own."  
"Have you found any tricks or solutions?" Korra frowned. "I feel bad every time I wake up from panicking and running all over the train."

"Not many," Clove admitted, "I think sometimes the best thing to do is let it out—talk to another victor if you can. I might not be the best listener and I'm certainly no therapist, but we've all got problems, kid. We always gripe about telling people not to think their problems are worse than ours, but it's the other way around too—we can't go around thinking are problems aren't significant when they are. I made a stupid decision or two in my life that cost me my darlings. Sometimes when you lose something, you just have to work to get as much of it back as possible."  
"You'll do fine out there, Korra." Amy reassured her, "Garrett's not about to attack you, and if anyone spooks you, we've got your back."

"Thanks…" Korra sighed, "sorry again for waking you up."  
"Don't worry about it," Clove shrugged, "I was shooting my arm up anyway."

A few hours passed and soon they were pulling into District 6. Korra trembled as she wheeled her way to the stage and saw Garrett and Alayna's families, both of whom looked ominous and threatening. They were, after all, looking at the girl who had been the killer of both of their tributes.

On the other hand, the red eyes seemed to be a normal thing, and Korra's curiosity piqued when she remembered Miriam's note. She had to find this 'Dezna Meraxa' fellow.

But first, she had to speak about Garrett and Alayna without tearing up or panicking. Such a feat seemed much easier to say than to actually do. Korra's charisma skill was about to be put to the test.

She started out strong, and even went as far as saying that Garrett was a warrior to be reckoned with, and a man worthy of respect. She could not stop the shakiness of her voice from coming when she spoke of little Alayna though. A mixture of fear and humility overcame Korra, and it was clear that she was crying by the end of her speech. There was a grim round of applause, although most of the people didn't seem angry, let alone hostile. Perhaps it was for the best that these two had been from District 6—too many of the people were shot up on drugs to be on full alert, it seemed.

"That right there," Delun turned to Clove and Amy as they headed to the Justice Building to meet up with Korra, "is the kind of leader we need. Korra is a one-woman charisma factory that somehow projects both supreme confidence and humble vulnerability."

"I couldn't agree more," Amy nodded, "That's a leader we can relate to."

Thankfully, the remainder of the District 6 stop was without event. Korra did manage to locate that Dezna Meraxa fellow that Miriam had spoken of, where she learned that Red Gold and a drug called "Substance 21" gave a victor (or anyone for that matter) a delusionary high of a lifetime. It was something of tradition at this point, and considering Korra's mental and emotional anguish, it was a nice release for her.

District 7 was thankfully nothing out of the ordinary, although Korra could not help but marvel at the massive and magnificent forests surrounding her. It was quite the contrast to the rocky terrain she was used to back home. District 8 was similarly standard and without incident—at first, anyways. Shortly after Korra's speech, Clove's eyes widened.

"No. Freaking. Way." She gawked. Korra's eyes followed Clove's to where a man and a pair of young children were sitting. Figuring that this would lead to something interesting, she followed them.

"Xander Fuhrman, you glorious bastard!" Clove exclaimed, "how did you get to '8 from '7?"

"I get around," the man explained, "Capitol business, really."

"Well how are my kids?" Clove shifted the subject immediately to the younger children, a boy and girl, both of whom had a strong resemblance to Clove herself. "I guess they're the glorious bastards now, aren't they?"  
"Isn't this a bit awkward," Xander scratched his head.

"Not when I don't get to see my kids for months at a time," Clove retorted, "how are they? Do they still know their mama?"

"About that, actually," Xander raised an eyebrow, "since you've mellowed out in the last 8 years, you could very well gain full custody over Mortan and Isabela."

"And what about you?" Clove glanced at the ground, the rare humble side of her persona shining through her rough and arrogant exterior, "I'm not exactly your token mother here."

"Someone's got to teach them how to become the best knife-throwers in Panem," Xander elbowed Clove playfully, causing her to chuckle.

"2nd best," she corrected him, "I will always be the best."

Korra decided to back away from this little family council, although she was surprised to know that Clove had had two children (admittedly, they looked like twins) with someone from a different district. There had to be a story behind that, and Korra wished to find it out.

She let them have their space, and the rest of the evening went by without much incident. The last few days had been full iof emotional ups and downs, and a few awkward encounters, but at least now, the tour was halfway over. 7 stops down; 6 stops remained.


	38. Chapter 38: The Fringes of Panem

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _the Victory tour is approaching its end. Korra pays the rebellious districts a visit, meets friend, and tries not to start a premature rebellion. There's probably only about 1 or 2 chapters left till the epilogues, and then the 93rd Annual Hunger Games will be complete._  
_Happy Reading! _

**CHAPTER 38: The Fringes of Panem**

Other than becoming a beer connoisseur for a night in District 9, there was not much in the way of unusual events that happened here apart from Korra having to be propped back up into her wheelchair, for she had slumped out and passed out. Getting drunk in District 9 was a fairly normal thing though, and so even with that in mind, it was considered uneventful, and District 10 was no different. District 11, however, was almost always a treat for victors of any walk of life, considering the nature of the tributes. These tributes almost always performed well, and they had a sizable victors' pool, only falling short of Districts 2, 1, and 5.

Korra's dress of the day was a shimmering thing in homely shades of green and brown, like the tilled earth and the plants that grew from it. After further analysis, Korra realized that the shimmery effect resembled water on leaves, and she suddenly became genuinely impressed. Once again, Misaha and Zakuya did not fail to deliver.

On the other hand, as the train pulled into the district, Korra had mixed feelings on how she would be received. She asked Amy about it, remembering that the girl had had quite the run-in with Dante Daniels and Cherry Valdez, the District 11 tributes from her games.

"You can't really compare Dante and Cherry to Sheaf and Laura though," Amy warned, "sure they were all badasses, but C&amp;D were manipulating and reprogramming mutts, while S&amp;L were just running around with flaming weapons."  
"I think I'd be more afraid of a fiery axe cutting off my arm than about a few bloodthirsty mutts," Korra shook her head, "but I understand that both of them were different. My games were not worse or tamer than yours." She had been about to ask what C&amp;D and L&amp;S were, but figured it was the initials of the tributes from the respective games.

"Good to see you can learn things, kid," Amy nodded approvingly. "my point is, is that they are too different to compare. I think what you need to remember is simply who the real enemy is."  
"That's actually what's giving me trouble." Korra frowned, "Garrett still scares me. Alayna still haunts me. Saki's face is going to haunt me as I remember seeing her die. Vivian's expression during her final moments is burned into my mind. Thinking about 'Victor the Victor' makes me sad seeing that he could never realize his dreams. But I miss them all. I understand that they are not the enemy, and as such, I cannot help but feel sorry for them."  
"Even Garrett?" Amy raised an eyebrow,  
"Even Garrett," Korra nodded, "No one was there because they wanted to be. The ones that did want to be there were just living the mindset that they had been taught their entire lives—myself included. The Capitol is the one that keeps us divided, and turns the districts against one another."  
"That reminds me," Amy warned, "you're coming up to one of the most rebellious districts here in a few minutes. It's not offending them that you need to worry about—it's saying things that might stir them up. They are exactly the kind of people that would try to start a riot, just like District 8 was."

Korra remembered Amy's warning from District 8, although was relieved that, apart from meeting Clove's children, the stop had been uneventful.

"So… keep it limited to the tributes, and not my actual feelings then?" Korra tilted her head, "I think I can do that. I wouldn't want to ruin my nine-district record of making up my speeches on the spot."  
"I'll make sure not to tell Delun then," Amy chuckled, "We wouldn't want him to have a heart attack learning that, even if you do come prepared. Something can always go wrong."  
"Careful," Korra chortled, "you'll jinx it. Aveline Togisala had a point, you know."

Their conversation was cut short by Delun, who opened his arms as he stepped into the compartment. The train was slowing down, and unsurprisingly, he was here to tell them that they had arrived. Korra's hands gripped the wheels of her chair, and she was ready to roll out and give the fine people of District 11 a piece of her mind, the Korra way.

She let her eyes gaze around her, both at the mourning families of Sheaf and Laura, and at the large Capitol banners with the words "VICTORY TOUR" and the number 93. These had been in every district so far, as was customary for the tour.

Her mind wandered a bit until she heard stoic applause, which meant the mayor had concluded her speech—this was her cue.

"I'm sure that you've all heard the same old fluff before from careers about how District 11 is full of stubborn and resilient tributes that are formidable forces in the arena." She began, "and I'm sure you will hear more of the same from me today, because it is a trend that is recurring.

Sheaf and Laura were my enemies, and were formidable opponents that earned even my respect. However, know that I understand why they were there, and what had to be done, and I will not condemn them for it."

There was a mild sense of interest bubbling through the crowds as Korra's speech continued and eventually wound down, and it seemed that the people of District 11 were fired up, but instead were channeling this passion into applause. Perhaps they knew that it was too early to riot. Whatever the case, the speaking ceremony ended without incident, and the festivities, while fairly wild and boisterous as they always were, were also tame insomuch that there was no violence.

Amy and Clove both gave Korra the same warning the following day for District 12. Clove seemed particularly excited, mostly because of her sister's job as a Peacekeeper here in '12.

"On the other hand," the older mentor continued, "with how rebellious District 12 is, coupled with their small size, they probably know better than to try and strike right now. I guess what we're saying is to keep it cool."  
"Don't worry," Korra chuckled, "I'll do that."  
Her outfit for this stop was a fairly simplistic, shimmering coal-black dress, the color of which Korra was positive was not a coincidence. She didn't mind the dresses at all, but she would be happy for when the tour was over and for when she could properly walk again so that she could run around in something like pants again.

Korra had a hunch that District 12 was not as small as it might have seemed. Throngs of messy-haired people surrounded the stage as she watched the mayor give her speech about the Capitol and the Hunger Games. She sounded very contrived about the Capitol nonsense, and Korra knew at once where this woman's allegiances were.

Her speech ended on a good note, and Korra received her cue. As she saw the passionate faces of everyone in the audience, from Jeremy's family to Sacajawea's younger siblings to the victors of District 12, to the mayor herself, she could see them rallying behind a powerful rebel leader. If she was the one that was supposed to lead this so-called revolution she wanted to make sure she was worthy of the title.

Korra took a deep breath before she began, gazing out at the dark browns and blacks of the audience's skin, hair, and clothes.

"The people of District 2 view District 12 in a very interesting light," she began, "we are opposites in so many ways, but at the same time, we also hold this district in very high respect. There is a certain gritty, rough-around-the-edges feel to this place; a ruthless environment where only the strongest survive and prosper. It takes a special kind of person to live the life in District 12, and Jeremy and Sacajawea both exemplified this well. Jeremy was a cunning survivalist whose skills got him predictably far. Sacajawea was a perfect example of the spirit of District 12—strong, resilient, clever, resourceful, and most of all—she was my friend. Hers is an example that is worth emulating."  
While her speech continued and even reverted to standard fare after a while, there was thunderous applause at Korra's words, and she realized after the fact why that had been the case. If more people were like Saki, then there would be more staunch rebel leaders, and perhaps the district would riot and rebel all on its own. She realized that she was treading on thin ice in that regard, but nothing happened until they got inside for the evening festivities.

Clove immediately singled out Katniss, where the two of them started bickering about some sort of bet. Things almost turned aggressive, but there was a small voice that dismissively chuckled, and grabbed Korra's attention. Spinning her wheelchair around, she saw little Ava Togisala, with Amy at her side.

"Welcome to the victor club, kid." Amy chuckled, "you know Ava, right? She's my partner-in-crime."  
It was almost comical that Amy and Ava were both almost the same size—both under 5 feet in height.

"so you two are both in on me as…" Korra trailed off, and both of them nodded.

"Long story short, if we had more people, it would happen now," Ava explained, "there's an operative of ours in the north that we're waiting to hear back from, but don't hold your breath. If anything shows up, I'll make sure to alert you two somehow—at the next Hunger Games at the latest.

The next Hunger Games… Ava's words were reassuring, but still knowing that there was going to be more Hunger Games brought a frown to Korra's face. On the other hand, the fact that they were working on something to put the practice to and end was a fairly decent reassurance in the meantime…


	39. Chapter 39: The Return to District 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And thus concludes the thrilling saga of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games at long last! We got to witness Korra Zerlinda Francisco transform from the average cocky, gung-ho career tribute into a much more experienced and humbled woman, but her story comes to a brief end for the time being-at least until the epilogues. As the Mockingjay, watch for the upcoming fanfic "The 100th Annual Hunger Games", where Korra's tricks will be put to the test, and we meet old faces as well as new. Until then... here's Korra in the Capitol meeting a very prominent character, and then returning home to District 2 to rest up for a while.  
Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 39: The Return to District 2**

Korra knew at this point that this was the true penultimate stop of her tour, and the final stop before she would go home—for once they pulled into District 2, Korra would not be leaving there until the next Hunger Games.

The long journey form District 12 to the Capitol was a nice time for Korra to stop and think about a few things (and occasionally be a fourth for a game or two of Red Maiden with Amy, Clove, and Delun). She thought about District 11 and the harsh forces f Peacekeepers there that heavily monitored the citizenry. They did seem fairly prone to riot, but Korra was fortunate enough not to see anything of the sort when she was there. District 12 was eerily similar, except the Peacekeepers seemed to turn the other way for almost anything. Korra was fairly certain that District 12 was simply staying quiet because there was not a strong enough rebellion in any of the other districts for them to make a difference. Sacajawea was right. Too much open rebellion in '12, and Snow would not hesitate to simply obliterate it just as his ancestors had done to District 13 nearly a century ago. District 12 was a very dangerous place full of dangerous people. One of Ava's stories was about a savage girl from about 50 years ago that had struck fear into most of Panem as she and her allies ravaged the enemy tributes with poisons and grenades of their own creation, which they used to great effect. If the people there had access to those kinds of tools and weapons, then perhaps they really were ready to riot and overtake the small contingent of Peacekeepers stationed there.

Whatever the case, she figured that she was still in fairly good standing with the Capitol since she had not started any riots (Clove explained to her that this happened more often than she thought), and so this stop did not worry her the way the stops in '6, '11, and '12 had.

However, much to Korra's own frustration and chagrin, she woke up in a cold sweat during the night after a rather horrifying dream about District 2 being raided by the Capitol. It didn't make sense, considering that '2 was easily the most loyal district to the Capitol rule, but seeing her friends back home killed by them did strike fear into her heart.

"It was just a dream, kid," Clove was the one to reassure her, having been through this process many times already. Her motherly side was showing, and Korra suddenly realized what could have brought along this change of heart for Clove, in contrast to the wild, bloodthirsty and sadistic girl she had been during the 74th Annual Hunger Games. "And as real as it might have seemed… it's not real. Even if there is a rebellion, I don't think that it would ever reach District 2 with such extremity that they would bomb it. They have too much shit invested there."

"But how can I convince myself of that?" Korra sighed, "Especially if Rue doesn't let you go even 20 years later? You're stronger than me, Clove…"

"Pfah!" Clove laughed, "as if, Korra. I would have said fuck it and let 'em chop off my legs."  
"Really," Korra tilted her head,  
"Pretty much," Clove chortled, "and then I would have just moped in my corner and thrown knives at people or something. Things knock you down, but you rebound and jump back up stronger than before. Not very many of us can say the same."

"But I still freak out over nightmares and triggers and whatever else comes my way." Korra argued, "I don't ever see you freaking out and crying."  
"I might not cry the way you do, but I'm on sedatives, Korra, in case you've forgotten," Clove reminded her, "I've just become more vigilant in taking them, especially if I'm ever going to get my kids back. The last thing they need is their mom flipping her shit on them and bringing bodily harm to them as a result."

"Is that why you're much more motherly?" Korra quipped,

"It's part of the reason," Clove shrugged, "but I guess the whole point I'm trying to make here, Korra, is that you're a messed up kid just like the rest of us. That doesn't make you a worse person than the people who have never had to play the Hunger Games; it makes you more experienced, and perhaps a bit more naturally sensitive—that's something that a lot of people overlook. Not even the men are immune to it, and sometimes you'll even find a guy that cares just as much as the girls. Delun's a good example of this if you can get past his glitz and glamour. He's a funny guy under all that."  
"I definitely didn't think highly of him when I first met him." Korra quipped.

"And Amy and I didn't think highly of you at all either," Clove ruffled Korra's hair, giving the teen a smile that caused her to smile right back. "glad that changed."

Korra went back to sleep much happier than she had been when she had woken up, even if this time had not been a scream. She wondered how Clove had detected that she was awake, but thought little of it for now.

The stop in the heart of the Capitol was exactly what Korra expected it to be. It was like the merriment from District 1 only amplified a hundredfold. The striking blood-red color of Korra's magnificent dress felt inferior to the vast array of glitzy colors that surrounded her and her crew as they enjoyed the hospitality of President Snow in his mansion.  
However, shortly after Amy proceeded to haze Korra in a century-long tradition of convincing the newest victor to drink some of the green substance that induced vomiting, Korra found herself nearly wheeling her chair into a sharply dressed woman who did not resemble the flambouyant Capitol crowds around her. The pointed features of her face reminded Korra a bit of President Snow himself, but there was also a striking and serene beauty to this woman. In fact, so striking was she that Korra even forgot about her beef with Amy—that could wait a bit, compared to this.

"Ahh, so this is our new victor then," she purred, glancing the seated girl over.

"And who might you be?" Korra tilted her head.

"My name is Romula," the woman introduced herself with an air of professional and sweet formality to her tone, "Romula Marian Snow—future President of Panem."  
"You're Snow's daughter?" Korra looked perplexed.

"Granddaughter," Romula chuckled, "Although I might look this good at that age, wouldn't you say?"  
"I'm not sure," Korra shrugged, "I've… never really looked for attractive qualities in a woman."  
"Ah… so simple, but so powerful… you I like." Romula smiled, taking Korra's hands in her own much smaller ones. Korra anticipated the usual remark about how large her hands were, but Romula's words surprised her instead. "don't worry, my dear. You are in safe hands here in the Capitol. My grandfather simply wishes to live out the rest of his days in peace and so is preparing me for the job."  
"And how exactly would you be different from him?" Korra asked the critical question, glaring at Romula with a fiery passion that almost dared the young future president to admit the truth.

"I would ensure that Panem was led into an age of prosperity," she cooed, "The districts would be run by the mighty heroes who helped forge this glorious country. I think we can all agree on that much at least, can we not?"  
"It depends on what your definition of hero is," Korra retorted, standing her ground.

"I suppose it does, now doesn't it, sweetie?" Romula shook her head, "but do not worry about it. My dear grandfather is plenty hale, and he's got a few good years left in him. Until then… best of luck to you in all your endeavors… Mockingjay."

Romula strode away with a sway in her hips, the clicks of her heels growing fainter as she disappeared into the crowds, leaving a bug-eyed Korra nearly reeling with surprise and a small streak of fear. The President's granddaughter knew of their rebellion? How much did she know? Had it just been a lucky guess betrayed by Korra's horrified expression? She would not be sleeping well tonight.

Despite this premonition though, Korra did actually sleep just fine. Granted, she was also wildly drunk, courtesy of peer pressure from Amy, Clove, and even Delun, all of whom also joined in on the revelry, and the last thing she remembered was being wheeled back towards the train for the trip home.

She woke up with a hangover that was easily cured by some simple Capitol drugs, and realized that she was on her way back to District 2—a relieving thought that she was more than ready to welcome.

Korra missed Victor, but she did not harbor the same fond feelings for him that she had with Vivian and Sacajawea. He was a friend, but his loss to her just felt like another career tribute loss. On the other hand, she would make sure that he at least got the respect she felt he deserved.

The speech in District 2 actually had an odd feeling to it, and the area here reminded Korra of a cross between District 1 and District 12, with a streak of District 11 and District 5 mixed in. She couldn't explain why, but that was what she felt this particular time.

Korra's speech here was something that she probably couldn't have gotten away with in rebellious districts like '8 or '12. Still, the staunchly loyal people of District 2 and the small patches of rebels laced in between them, cheered wildly at the end of her speech, where she had given Victor a respectful farewell, citing him as a proud and confident warrior. Thoughts of Romula had ceased for the time being, and her fellow victors, as well as her brother Kada, reminded her that there wasn't any party like a District 2 party. The well-disciplined people of this district remained professional, but also knew how to party hard when the opportunity was given. Korra loved that about her home.

On the other hand, she wasn't entirely sure about the status quo anymore. Romula might have thrown a wrench into the system, but being back surrounded by so many people that were knowingly loyal to the Capitol did sort of calm her down, figuring that there was no way the Capitol would attack them. Kada managed to get Korra to take her mind off of it and enjoy the party, but she knew that things had transpired in the arena that could not be undone. The 93rd Annual Hunger Games might have been over, but the games that would determine the fate of Panem were still in the setup process. Korra would have to watch this board carefully to know when to properly put her pieces into play…


	40. Epilogue--Chapter 40: Sibling Bonds

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This epilogue was not so much unexpected, but I still feel like I could have ended it with Chapter 39 and then been just fine. Still, like all of my epilogues, it will show how the victor copes with her PTSD, and a few other aspects of Korra's life and her character development, as well as a few others, such as her brother and perhaps a few victors, even. After all, Korra's got feelings under that badass (and slightly dorky) exterior of hers._  
_Happy Reading!_

**PART IV: EPILOGUE—LIFE BACK HOME**

**CHAPTER 40: Sibling Bonds  
**

It was nearly a month after the victory tour before Korra's long-anticipated day finally arrived, and the Capitol doctors deemed her legs stable enough for her to give up the wheelchair completely. They allowed her to keep it just in case, as well as a pair of crutches, for they advised Korra not to put too much stress on her legs, but of course, the untamable Korra Francisco threw that advice out the window, and immediately began working on regaining the muscle strength in her legs.

Korra was seen jogging or sprinting around the district with passionate fervor, and with how vigorous she was, it did not take long before she was back in the tip-top shape that she was in before the catastrophe in the arena. She kept it quiet from her brother that she still had nightmares, not wanting to worry him much, but at the same time, she was fairly certain he knew, and simply stayed quiet, not wanting to pick fights with a sister that he knew could at least hold her ground against him, if not best him. Korra was a very athletic woman, and that had not changed a bit.

She decided to pay her brother Kada a visit at the academies. It was nice that he was almost as physically active as she was—it gave her a constant companion to keep her wits sharp and her strength sharper. This particular time, however, she had a concern or two she wanted to run by him.

Unlike Korra, who lived off of her victor's stipend for life, Kada clocked a few hours at the training academies, and Korra knew exactly when to catch him when he wasn't busy. Sure enough, by the time she arrived there, Kada was heading out for a break.

"Hey," he called out to her, "you here to work out again, Korra?"

"Actually, I just wanted to talk to you." Korra admitted, "you got a moment?"

"For you, sister? all the time in the world." Kada assured her.

"That's actually it though," Korra frowned, "we seem more… distant than we used to be." The two siblings made eye contact before finding an out-of-the-way place to sit down and discuss things. They were definitely siblings both bearing a strong resemblance to each other to the point where someone might casually remark that they were twins. The main differences were that Korra was slightly shorter and curvier, while Kada's hair was longer and shoulders were wider. Both of them shared the same green eyes, freckled faces, and long auburn hair, however.  
"Well, we can't live together forever," Kada shrugged, "I mean, obviously I owe you a bit for letting me move in with you to your victor mansion, but we can't become fused at the hip."  
"I'm not asking you to stop seeing Amy," Korra requested, "I just feel like we don't interact anymore. I'm not even saying that I'm not at fault too here—I guess I just feel like I'm alone. Amy has you, and her parents visit from time to time, and sure I've got the other victors, but you've seen us. we're a plenty distant bunch."  
"And so how am I suddenly the chosen one?" Kada tilted his head, "not that I don't like being around you—I'm just wondering why I'm the one you're turning to."

"you're my brother," Korra reminded him, "Amy's parents are still alive even if she doesn't see them often. Clove's apparently got her kids to try and win back now… heck, even Delun and Junichi have each other, and Ava in District 12's got her mother… it's just you and me though, ever since mom and dad died. I don't want to lose you too."

"you've always been the sentimental one, Korra," Kada ruffled Korra's hair. "I just feel like what you're doing is… well, a bit dangerous."  
"Of course it is!" Korra agreed, "after what I went through, I feel like this is the only other thing we can do unless we want history to keep repeating itself like it has for the last 93 years."  
"Korra," Kada sighed, "Look—I'm not trying to be insensitive here. You are one of only 93 people who have done the things you've done. I'm not even claiming to understand, but think about it. If you rebel, what's going to happen? They won't go after you—they'll go after me. Now, I'm all fine and dandy for sacrificing myself if it keeps you safe, sister—but I'm thinking of you here. You're going on about how I'm the only one you have left, and so do you really want to lose me?"  
"If you're innocent, he wouldn't—"

"Snow would do exactly that," Kada cut her off. "I'm not claiming to worship the Capitol here, Korra, but biting the hand that feeds us seems foolhardy, especially if you really want to keep me the way you say you do."  
"You're just fearing for your own life now!" Korra bickered. "I didn't know my brother was a coward."

"Don't," Kada grabbed Korra's wrists, gripping them tightly as he glared right into his sister's wide green eyes, "think that even for a second, that I am a coward fearing for my own life. Korra, my whole life has been dedicated to trying to help you. I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails for the entirety of the Hunger Games, worried for your safe return. I love you, Korra, and the last thing I'd want in this world is for you to die alone and miserable."

"Tell me, Kada," Korra growled, "Tell me how you can look to the Capitol with that same sort of reverence after seeing what they did to your own sister? I was everything they wanted me to be, and it was not an act. I played their game; I played by their rules. I lived my whole life to serve them and to volunteer for the games. And how do they repay me? How do they repay me after taking away everything that I cherished? How do they repay me after DESTROYING my mind and my body? They do NOTHING! They throw me into a pile of riches and so-called fame and glory, and then leave me there to wallow in my misery as my anguish festers. Is that the kind of reward anyone deserves, let alone those that were their most loyal subjects? I think not. No, Kada... if you know what I have been through, and how they treated me... you would understand why I cannot—and will not—rest until District 2 falls. Either you are with me, or you are against me—but I will not let family bonds cloud my judgment or stay my hand. Kada, the time of sitting on the fence has ended. You must choose a side, and you must do so here and now."

"Listen here," Kada brought his nose less than an inch away from Korra's face, a distinct fervor appearing that had usually only been seen in Korra's face. "Korra—I don't venerate the Capitol here, but what you don't understand, is how to put on an act. You're too genuine, which is fine and dandy anywhere else, but in front of the Capitol's watchful eyes, you need a charade. If you're openly rebelling against them, they will make your life so miserable you will wish you were back in the arena. Do you want to know why mom and dad died?"

"You're seriously not saying they…" Korra gasped,

"I'm saying EXACTLY that." Kada asserted. "Korra—I was always the subtle one. They weren't very subtle about it either, and so if you don't learn how to put on a façade here, you're going to be in trouble. I'm willing to help you in any and every way I can—but I need your cooperation. I know it's going to sting to have to feign this complacence, but you're going to have to do it until you can get your little show on the road. Korra, I love you—but I've had to grow distant so that they don't think we're both in on this little shindig and kill us both. Not even District 2 is safe from the Capitol's grasp."  
Korra stood there in silence, her eyes watering.  
"You… you really did that for me?" she whimpered.

"Korra, it killed me to see the state you were in after the games." Kada put his arms around her, "I've got your back, okay? Just remember that…"  
Korra gripped Kada tighter, practically breathing in the smell of his shirt with where her face was. After a moment, she began to tremble, only allowing herself to be soothed when she felt Kada's hands on her back. She shuddered again, trying to collect herself.

"I will never abandon you," Kada whispered, lifting Korra's chin and giving her a family kiss on the lips. "See, distant as I sometimes am, I need you and want you as much as you need me, Korra. The thought of losing you—why do you think I'm so paranoid about all of this?"  
"Then… you understand why it has to be done though, right?" Korra blinked.

"Absolutely." Kada reassured her. "and I'll be right at your side throughout the entire thing…"


	41. Epilogue--Chapter 41: Healing Scars

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _While my other fanfics got several epilogue chapters, I feel like this one only needs a couple of them. Korra's character is pretty solid to me, and while Ava and Amy had fellow victors and friends, as well as romantic interests (and dead loved ones from their district that they mourned over), Korra's relationships were mostly just her brother and then fellow victors, which we will see a LOT of in this chapter. We'll get cameos from favorite heroes, meet a ton of new faces, and have a nice conclusion to "The 93rd Annual Hunger Games." Also, Victor gets a little closure, and we reach the end. Kudos to anyone still with me through all of this. Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it._  
_Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 41: Healing Scars**

Some wounds simply never healed—it was a brutal truth that many Hunger Games victors knew by heart. The pain might ebb away over time, but often times even the scars still hurt when they were touched, almost as if the wound has not ever fully closed.

The Carusos knew this feeling from losing their son in the 93rd Hunger Games, and every now and again, Korra would pay them a visit. The two had not been as close as some district partners or alliances, but even in death, Korra had respected Victor, and the two had never exactly had to turn on each other. Thus, despite harboring more affectionate feelings for Koshu Varada, Sacajawea Kwan, and most of all Vivian Nelson, Korra's respect for Victor had not diminished at all.

She paid him some brief respects, and otherwise life was back to normal until the next reaping or whatnot. Korra didn't think there would be much else out of the ordinary until she heard more about the Mockingjay rebellion or whatnot. For now she had just been told to lay low and live the life of a victor. That was something she could do for a while.

If there was something good about being a victor and survivor of the Hunger Games, it was the opportunity that popped up now and again to meet fellow victors from different districts, while partying it up and letting loose. Every victor, including the richest ones from '5, '1, or '2, seemed to always have way more money than they knew what to do with, and so often times they would host parties in the Capitol. Citizens of the Capitol often invited themselves, and as such, let word get out to every district that someone was throwing a party. They were always onto any and every excuse for revelry. Ultimately, this did not bother too many of the victors, who often just mingled and socialized with themselves, letting the Capitol guests do their thing.

Still, Korra was slightly surprised when she heard that she was invited. She seemed a little nervous about it at first, but Kada reassured her.

"how bad could it be?" he quipped, "I mean yeah, I wish I could go with you, but Amy's going, Clove's going… even those weird siblings that never say anything got invited."

"Doesn't mean I won't still miss my brother," Korra retorted, throwing her arms around Kada again. "I love you, Kada."  
"I love you too, Korra." He kissed her forehead, "don't get too drunk out there, alright?" he ruffled her hair, causing Korra to giggle.

"I… would normally promise not to, but you've seen us victors. We're downright crazy."

She was curious about who this 'Nailah Zoraki' who was hosting the party was, for all she knew about the woman right now was that she was from District 1, but she figured that she would find out soon enough. She figured that she would not need to worry about the Capitol while there, and that she would be too busy partying it up. Hopefully she was right.

Shortly before noon the next morning, Korra boarded the train that whisked her away to the Capitol. Other than a few Peacekeepers, an Avox or two, and the engine operators, she was alone, and so there was not much for her to do or anyone for her to interact with, and so she took a nap. She figured that this was going to be a very late night, after all…

Upon arriving at the Capitol, Korra found herself looking around, feeling awkward being all dressed up and nowhere to go. Then again, the electric-blue dress she wore did not stand out too sorely among the wild and eye-cancerous colors of the Capitol, and so if anything, she blended right in. She wandered around the train station for about 10 minutes before someone called out in her direction.

"93! Is that you?" Almost as if that number belonged to her now, Korra turned her head to see a squat, dirty-blonde-haired woman in a revealing pink dress running towards her and waving.

"93?" Korra tilted her head, just to make sure this lady knew what she was talking about.  
"Francisco, right?" the woman glanced at Korra, "Nailah Zoraki, 79th Hunger Games."  
"Korra Francisco, 93rd," Korra introduced herself, "you're the one hosting this party then?"

"That would be me," she smirked, "this way."  
Nailah led Korra to a building that was clearly bustling with excitement, and Korra could tell by the lights, sounds, and smells of the place that this was going to be a night to remember. Not too far away, the massive Tribute Tower loomed overhead, its lights aglow in the Capitol evening cityscape.

As she expected, she had to get through a wall of people wanting to say hi or shake her hand. Much to her chagrin, she had several Capitol citizens comment on how large her hands were, which bugged her for some reason. It had never bothered her, but for some reason when people felt the need to mention it, Korra felt awkward, as if she was somehow not supposed to have large hands and feet to fit her brawler's body. She was much more relieved when she ran into Amy and Aveline, who were playing cards at a table. Amy invited her to have a seat.

"Finally, someone who's not fawning over me or exclaiming how enormous my hands are," Korra gave an exasperated sigh."  
"Aye, the Capitol can be like that sometimes, Ava shrugged, "don't worry—they tend not to hound us once we slip into our corners like this."  
"So who's all here?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"I've seen Katniss and Vigo from my home in District 12 here," Ava began, "although I also saw Clove, those Raiden siblings, and Enobaria from District 2. Obviously Amy's right here too."

"And what about the other districts?" Korra asked as they dealt her some cards,

"Well, I've seen a couple of folks from District 11," Amy pointed out, "since you know that '12 and '11 get along well enough obviously. There's a guy telling wild stories over in that far corner next to the punch bowl, and then there's a girl from the 89th Hunger Games talking with that District 4 fellow that won the year before you, Ava."

"What's Nailah doing?" The three girls turned and saw her surrounded by a few other people writing something on slips of paper and handing it to her.

"I think they're betting on something," Ava pointed out.

"That's exactly what they're doing," another voice answered the question, sliding up to the card table. It was an older man in his early 40s, although he seemed to have aged well and remained in great shape.

"Finnick Odair, District 4," he smirked, tossing a sugar cube into his mouth, "they're betting on how long it'll take '89 and '90 to decide to streak from here to the Tribute Tower."

"Are you serious?" Kora gawked.

"He's dead serious," A woman about Finnick's age joined them.

"And you are…?" Ava raised her eyebrows.

"Johanna Mason, District 7." The woman proudly introduced herself, "see, Kozue Sowa and Gill Wainright are exactly the same as Finnick and I were about 20 years earlier. Just ask Clove." Almost as if hearing her name summoned her, Clove appeared, smirking.

"I give it about 11 minutes after the pies are gone." She quipped. "you in, Korra?"  
"It's pie," Korra laughed, "who can I say no?"  
"Well," Finnick quipped, "can you topple the champion?"  
"Who's the champion?" Korra quipped, "There's no challenge too tough for me."

"Resin Balthezar, District 7," Johanna quipped, "he's a straight-up lumberjack."  
"He ain't got nothin' on me." Korra stood up confidently.

"That makes four," Clove smirked, "Let's get Nailah."

Korra soon found herself seated next to Resin, as well as that older storyteller from District 11 who introduced himself as Varric Svenja, son of the legendary storyteller (and 44th Victor) Sagittaria Svenja. The woman still lived, but she was back in District 11, being much older now. On either side of the two men were two women that shook Korra's hand: Zenzi Tallarico, another District 11 Victor, and Paige DeSiete, a woman from District 8.

Nailah was officiating the contest, stating the names of the contestants and the rules.

"So it's Varric from '11, Resin from '7, Korra from '2, Paige from '8, and Zenzi from '11… I think District 11 might have an edge here, kids."

"I can pretend to be from District 10 if you want, since none of them are here," Zenzi quipped.

"Yes, let's do that." Nailah joked, "We don't have anyone from '6 here either, do we?"  
"Ryuka came in with Ikki," Clove pointed out, "and Bethany is over there mixing Red Gold and Substance 21 with him, so that covers '5."

"Anyways," Nailah nodded, "rules are simple—you pass out, you lose. If you pvomit, you lose. If you walk away, you lose, but keep some semblance of dignity. You can drink as much as you like—alcohol not recommended. After 15 minutes, whoever has consumed the most will be crowned the winner and might get called a fatass."  
"What's the point of this contest then?" Korra quipped, "I'm not going to be hazed just because I'm the new kid here."  
"It's not hazing," Varric pointed out, "it's just good clean fun and an excuse to act like an idiot outside of public eye. Don't worry, Korra—victors are all treated as equals here."

"Fair enough," Korra seemed to accept that, and suddenly the eating of the pies began. There were whoops and wails and chants of all sorts, with different victors rooting on different contenders. Amy and Ava had Korra's back, as did Enobaria, Clove, and the rest of the District 2 victors, while Nailah, Finnick, Gill, and Kozue had it going for the District 11 crew. Johanna rooted for Resin, while the victors from Districts 3 and 8 rooted for Paige.

Sadly for them, she was the first to go, and Zenzi followed shortly after. Varric was either not cut out for the contest against Korra and Resin, or maybe he just swallowed a piece badly, but whatever the case, he sputtered, and ran to the restroom to prevent making a scene.

Now the sides were much less divided, with 'supporters' of the losing contestants moving to support those already in. However, before they could finish, they heard crazed screaming and laughing, which even distracted Resin, and thus Korra even glanced his way.

It was hard to see from so many people in front of her, but a suit and a dress soon appeared on the floor, and a couple of wild young adults were in fact running away naked and laughing.

Nailah looked at her watch. "38 minutes, 14 seconds." She announced, "Who had Sowa and Wainright naked 38 minutes in? Anyone?"  
"That would be me," Enobaria smirked, flashing her little slip of paper which had her guess clocked at 14 minutes and 2 seconds, "read it and weep."  
"Anyone else?" Nailah called out again as they laughed and glanced out the window. There was a consensus of 'no's after Enobaria's yes, where she took the pot of money, proudly caressing it.

The rest of the party was more of the same. Gambling, eating, drinking, and general merriment were the norms. Things got hilarious when Kozue showed back up to the party in handcuffs led by a Peacekeeper, still butt-naked except a little pair of black slippers. She was released and allowed to get dressed again, and about 19 minutes after she was returned, they apparently caught Gill and released him back into the party where he got dressed as well. Even Korra thought the whole theatric was rather hilarious, and both Gill and Kozue high-fived each other and promised to do it again next time.

The Victor Party was good for Korra when all was said and done though. It was one of the few places where she laughed and smiled the entire time, throwing her traumas and demons to the wind for a while. It seemed that her fellow victors had all done the same thing too. Even Katsuo and Kaede were smiling, and despite Katniss losing a game of cards to Clove, she had a smile on her face by the time all was said and done.

No one even thought about going home that evening, since most of the victors were wildly drunk, drugged up, or some combination of the two, and so they all just sort of crashed at Nailah's party hall for the night.

It was about noon before anyone stirred, and slowly as the victors began getting up and collecting their bearings (and clothes, in some cases), they began to say their goodbyes, laughing and smirking about the various wild night of events that had gone on just a few hours earlier before the sun had come up.

"So tell me something," Korra raised an eyebrow, turning to Nailah.

"What's up, '93?" Nailah cocked her head towards the newer victor.

"Are all Victor Parties like this?" She asked.

"Pretty much," Nailah affirmed, "we're all messed up in the head, and so sometimes it's nice just to let loose and act a little crazy. We're known to scare most normal people—but you know full well that we're not anything close to normal, don't you?"  
"That might be an understatement," Korra quipped. Nailah just laughed.

"Well, long story short, Francisco—you fit right in. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, Mockingjay."

Korra paused, lowering her voice. "Mockingjay… then you know?"

"All of us victors know," Nailah quipped, "you think we're just going to stand by while the Capitol treats us like shit? Nah, we're in on this together. We might be less than 93 other people here, but we're a force to be reckoned with. We know how the Capitol rolls."

Korra smirked. "I'll keep you posted if anyone gives me updates then." She promised.

"Atta girl," Nailah patted Korra's back, "now you best be scampering off to your train. I'm about to miss mine I think!" She laughed and strode off in a direction different from Korra's.

The ride home was a bit more pleasant, since the party had put Korra into high spirits, and she was also excited to return home and tell Kada about everything that had happened.

Unsurprisingly, Kada was thrilled to see Korra just as much as she was thrilled to see him. She told him everything, which had Kada all but rolling in the aisles by the time she was done.

"I definitely wish you could have seen it," she finished, her arms still tightly around her brother. Kada embraced Korra, nuzzling her face with his own.

"And see there?" He added, "that's the happy girl I remember. I know that you won't always be this happy, and I wouldn't expect you to—but look at it this way… you were broken, but you got back up and you recovered. Junichi was right about you, Korra. You're strong and resilient."

Korra smiled, enjoying the reassuring words. "I don't want to stay down if I get kicked over," she declared, "If they push me down, I'll get back up and hit 'em twice as hard!"  
"And that's the Korra I know and love." Kada ruffled her hair. Korra sighed comfortably, letting Kada's arms wrap around her in a comforting embrace. Korra Zerlinda Francisco was not broken—nor would she allow herself to be.


End file.
